David Parkes
I am responsible for sowing the seeds of this idea and believing it could happen. As a chartered surveyor and previously a director at DTZ in Bristol, I have for most of my professional career worked in property development, investment and regeneration. Through my involvement with schemes such as Harbourside and Temple Quay I recognise these have offered little to support community or sustainability objectives and I am convinced we need new models for development. Working with a community organisation in India (SCAD) opened my eyes to our potential to connect with the vision of a new society with people working together to transform neighbourhoods. Self build is part of that and now with the full support of Government we aim to help bring this into mainstream. I am passionate about bringing the vision of self help and self empowerment into our communities and finding new ways of helping people onto the housing ladder.
We grow support and friends daily : Jackson Moulding (Ecomotive), Steffie Broer (Bright Green Futures), Neil Elliot (Co-housing forum), Darren Hall (Bristol Green Capital), David Saunders (Zero Carbon Bristol), Jamie Pike(Coexist), Keith Cowling (Bristol Community Land Trust), Edward Nash (Nash Partnership), George Fergusson (Fergusson Mann), Robert Narracott (Noma architects), Mark Letcher (Climate Works) Carolyn Hassan (Knowle West media centre), Dominic Murphy(Creating Excellence), Craig White (White design)Bedminster Quakers, University of West of England WHO collaboration project (WHO) Transition Bristol, Eden Project, Steiner School and many others who share and support this vision including last but not least local residents in Bedminster and the wider community.
