Westminster City Council’s ambition to deliver a Fairer Westminster is grounded in transparency, inclusion, and community empowerment. With an area rich in heritage, diversity, and density, the Council needed a modern platform to listen to residents, co-create better services, and make local voices central to its planning and policy decisions.
Since launching its Commonplace hub, Westminster has delivered over 112 public projects, engaging residents across housing, transport, greening, public realm improvements, antisocial behaviour, and community services. Each project invites feedback at key stages, making the platform a live repository of community insight.
Key stats:
Projects: 112
Visitors: 209,000+
Contributions: 21,000+
Projects range from tactical infrastructure and green space plans to strategic frameworks shaping Westminster’s future. Whether it's a local bollard change or the Oxford Street Programme, residents can track and influence projects from start to finish.
Using a blend of digital tools and in-person events, the council has ensured participation from all sections of the community. QR codes, prize draws, visual surveys, translated materials, and outreach through schools and community groups have driven equitable involvement.
Some notable live and recent projects include:
Better Buses Westminster – Improving the bus network by tackling pinch points and extending lanes, informed by commuter input.
Greening Westminster – Supporting grassroots applications to transform underused areas into green havens like The Onion Garden and Covent Garden Playground.
Anti-Social Behaviour Call for Evidence – Gathering frontline experiences to shape new tools and powers for safer streets.
Queens Park Family Hub – Co-designing a new centre for families based on local needs for support, childcare, and learning.
Oxford Street Programme – Allowing the public to help shape the vision for one of London’s most iconic shopping streets, including active travel and accessibility.
Community Planning Advice Service – Piloting free guidance to residents on how to respond effectively to large-scale planning applications.
Cycle Movement Strategy – Formalising safer, permanent cycleways across the city, from Harrow Road to Portland Place, based on direct feedback from cyclists and pedestrians.
Charlwood Street Piazza and Public Realm Schemes – Creating more inclusive and people-friendly public spaces through consultation-led redesigns.
This approach has:
Made consultations more visible, accessible, and engaging, drawing 209,000+ visitors across dozens of projects.
Shifted planning from council-led to co-designed, with thousands of contributions shaping decisions in real time.
Created continuity in engagement, with residents returning to view results, see updates, and shape future phases.
Residents aren’t just consulted—they’re kept informed through regular feedback loops, summary dashboards, interactive maps, and digital documents. Completed consultations show how feedback led to revised plans, strengthening transparency and trust.
Westminster’s use of Commonplace has transformed its democratic engagement. No longer a one-way process, public participation is now embedded in service design, infrastructure planning, and environmental strategy. Whether planning a family hub, revising tenancy policy, or mapping cycling routes, the council has demonstrated that putting local people at the heart of decision-making leads to more responsive, inclusive, and sustainable outcomes.
This ongoing partnership sets a national benchmark for what 21st-century citizen engagement can look like.
This model has transformed community engagement, making decision-making more transparent, inclusive, and resident-driven.