A Deptford estate which has been a flytipping hotspot is getting a makeover with hopes of cleaning up the area for good.

Elliot Quinn, a masters student at Central Saint Martins University, is a former resident of the Woodpecker Estate.

Over the past few months, the estate has become a hotspot for flytipping.

News Shopper:

Flytipping has been a problem in the Woodpecker Estate for some time

“There’s litter everywhere,” Mr Quinn told News Shopper, adding: “People just dump there with no repercussions.”

As part of his masters thesis, the 26-year-old who now lives in Peckham decided to run a community project to improve the estate in ways that might help ease the amount of rubbish dumped in the area.

He ran community workshops for people who live on the estate, inviting them to submit their ideas on how to clean up the area.

News Shopper:

Workshops were set up to get ideas on how to tackle the issue

“We got some fairly good results. It was all about trying to figure out what the problem was and why it was happening.”

The main aims of the project are to restore bin lids, put up community boards and plant flowerbeds on the estate.

Mr Quinn also set up a crowdfunding page which has now raised nearly £700 to pay for the materials needed to complete the project. Lewisham Council and Lewisham Homes have also offered support.

“It’s not trying to outright stop flytipping on the estate, but more about increasing community ownership and identity so people care more about fly tipping and littering,” he explained.

The fundraising page says one of the main problems on the estate is “lack of ownership” from residents.

Mr Quinn hopes the improvements made through the project will encourage residents to engage more with the space around them. He also wants to involve residents with the project itself, hoping to get children involved with planting the new flowerbeds.

The fundraising page reads: “We can't go out every week with a van, but what we can do is help build a sense of community in the area, which is focused on solving problems that we all face.

“We want to develop a community that represents everyone in the estate, we want to do this by making changes, not just talking about them.”