On Sunday, our Landscape studio hosted a community street party along Cotall Street in London’s east end, in collaboration with Poplar Union, a newly-opened local arts and events venue. The weather may have been gloomy but Cotall Street was bright with bunting, balloons, street art and a steady flow of visitors.

The party celebrated the area’s industrial past with a series of interactive craft stalls, including block printing, biscuit decorating, calligraphy, seed cabinets and soap making. These were accompanied by a programme of impressive music performances on the outdoor stage, a lively competition to find Poplar’s finest pooch and Moo Canoe taster sessions.

The event looked to the future with a display showing how our plans will transform Barlett Park, Cotall Street and the adjacent Limehouse Cut Canal. We invited visitors to comment on our proposals and, more generally, to share their experiences of Poplar with our interactive pavilion. Spending an informal day with local residents enabled us to better understand their aspirations for the area, including the desire for the street party to become a regular fixture – a sure sign of a successful day!