Living Streets Portsmouth raises a staggering £34,000 for project to transform the area

The Living Streets project is a pilot scheme aims improve parts of Albert Road and Highland Road in Southsea.

The team behind the scheme have high hopes for the future and are thrilled at the financial support they have received, with a fundraising effort drumming up £34,077 in just 90 days with 150 supporters.

The team is currently refining the designs of the project which will provide space for bicycles to encourage people to travel environmentally.

Charlotte Gerada, 34, co-founder of the project and Councillor for the Southsea ward, said: ‘The next phase is to really refine the design down to a tee with all local businesses and obviously the residents.

‘Covid really accelerated it, in particular because people needed safe spaces to congregate outside, businesses needed support in their recovery and we needed to do more for the climate crisis.’

The money raised is going towards funding the parklets which will have planters, seats, benches and tables, as well as the maintenance and the installation process is hoped to take place in August.

The project will encourage more environmentally friendly travel, whilst bringing the community together and making the city a beautiful place.

Charlotte added: ‘We just want to make Portsmouth a more beautiful place.’

After the installation of the parklets it is hoped that it will encourage other people in the community to do the same thing and make the city beautiful, and it will not be long until everyone sees the work that has been done.