Peckham Vision is the citizens’ action group that values Peckham’s diversity and vibrancy to such a degree that it enabled Rye Lane to develop organically, instead of through enforced redevelopment. It helped achieve this by promoting community action and creating opportunities for people to make connections locally, improving relationships between authorities and the local community.

Campaigns follow the statutory processes for citizens’ rights in planning policy and development control and take in planning consultations and public hearings, petitions, web response portals, workshops, drop-in sessions and much more.

Peckham Vision runs these from its base for community events at its Bussey Building studio and its Holdrons Arcade shop, which is an information hub and drop-in centre with merchandise and books (open Saturdays 2-5pm, Tuesdays 2-4pm). Staffed by volunteers and reliant on donations to keep the momentum going, both sites were provided by Copeland Park’s owners for the part it played in saving the site.

Since 2005, Peckham Vision’s key concerns has been about the reuse of the buildings in Central Rye Lane instead of demolition and redevelopment. These include:

• Copeland Park & Bussey Building – Peckham Vision largely grew from a community campaign (2005-2009) that questioned the demolition of a 6-acre site – which included the Bussey Building and Copeland Park – for a tram depot. To acknowledge its part in saving the site, Copeland Park’s owners provided Peckham Vision with the Bussey studio and Holdrons Arcade shop to continue its important community work which began via that campaign
• Dovedale Court where they prevented the clearance of rail arches now home to the new economy including Bar Story, Peckham Springs, Brick Brewery
• Restoration of the derelict huge Old Waiting Room in Peckham Rye Station and the reopening the space in front of the listed Peckham Rye station
• Removing Peckham Multi Storey Car Park from the Council’s demolition plan so extending the leases for Bold Tendencies, Frank’s Café and the new Peckham Levels, and removal of compulsory purchase of the PeckhamPlex cinema

There is a small core team of active local residents assisted by more volunteers who help to man the shop as part of Peckham Vision’s team. It relies on voluntary contributions so to make a donation, please visit its website, email for bank details or drop-in to the shop.

At Copeland Gallery, we believe that access to space is access to possibility. We’ve always tried to ensure that our gallery isn’t just a venue for hire, but a platform for new voices, especially those at the start of their creative journey. Over the years, we’ve quietly supported countless exhibitions by emerging artists, offering flexibility, reduced hire fees, and practical support.

Many early-career artists face significant financial and institutional barriers when it comes to exhibiting their work. In 2024 we launched our Emerging Artist Programme, a dedicated initiative that provides heavily subsidised exhibition space to early-career artists and collectives.

The programme is designed to support those with limited access to traditional funding or institutional networks. It offers successful applicants the opportunity to stage a public exhibition at Copeland Gallery, with discounted hire fees and the full use of our 3,000 sq ft space.

Each year, the programme allows a diverse group of artists to apply. Proposals are selected based on artistic merit, ambition, and need, with an emphasis on supporting those underrepresented in the art world or facing systemic barriers to participation.

In one recent round, we allocated nearly £30,000 in discounted hire fees, enabling multiple artists to realise ambitious, public-facing exhibitions they might not otherwise have been able to afford.

Find out more about the scheme here.

Many courses at Goldsmiths University offer accredited placements and internships that let students put their classroom learning into action through real projects with partner organisations. Each year, Copeland Park hosts up to four Goldsmiths students through these placement pathways, giving them hands-on experience across several key areas of our operations.

We design these placements to give students real responsibility and one-on-one mentoring from our management team, because we believe meaningful experience and guidance make all the difference.

Bridging Classroom & Practice: Students see how theory meets practice in a vibrant creative hub.

Local Community Enrichment: Student’s work helped make events more visible, spaces more usable, and our resident community more connected.

Skills & Confidence: These placements are stepping stones, giving real experience that strengthens portfolios, CVs, and personal growth.

Motuke Katanda first came to Copeland Park, in 2023 as part of the Peckham Festival Makers Market, selling Congolese honey and sharing the story behind it. She was building a small, independent business rooted in fair trade and community connections.

Since then, Motuke has gone on to buy a farm in the DRC, developing it into a growing community enterprise that supports local producers and sustainable livelihoods. Motuke is now based in the Bussey Building, where she runs her business, Litanga, hosting entrepreneurial workshops and sharing her experience with others looking to build their own ventures.

Her journey reflects creativity, collaboration, and enterprise that gives back – all things we love to support at Copeland Park.