Open Havelock (London Borough of Ealing)

During the design and construction stages, the project delivered the following outcomes aligned with mayoral priorities;

Getting London back on its feet

• 2 Kickstart funded Community Connectors supported into work on Havelock Estate
• Providing new space to support small enterprise, start-ups and community initiatives

Tackling the climate emergency

• 15 volunteers supporting community planting event installing planters with herbs and flowers in the new community green spaces
• Retrofit of 36 underutilised car parking garages into community spaces

Opportunities for young Londoners

• 18 pupils from Sybil Elgar and Belvue College participating in a practical nature conservation project
• 33 students attending school workshops

Peabody and Ealing Council have transformed 36 disused garages and 2,000 square metres of empty space on the Havelock Estate into a suite of new facilities for the community. The innovative new community hub that will be home to dozens of services for residents in Southall was officially opened at a special event on Friday 18 November 2022.

The hub includes a multi-purpose room, workshops, children’s play and learning spaces, a community kitchen, changing rooms and secure storage facilities.

Community groups and local organisations were invited to express an interest in occupying the hub, and a range of activities have since been agreed. There is a cycle hub for maintenance and organised bike rides, an environmental improvement hub for community-led eco-initiatives, dance and movement workshops, youth activities and outreach work, mentoring and tutoring, mental health workshops and wellbeing activities. And three Southall residents will use the space to help ‘incubate’ their start-up enterprises.

To mark the launch, Ealing Council’s Leader, Peter Mason, his colleague Cllr Shital Manro, Cabinet Member for Good Growth, and Jules Pipe, London’s Deputy Mayor for Planning, Regeneration and Skills, joined representatives from Catalyst, Ealing Council and community organisations for an inaugural tour of the new facilities. There was a photo exhibition and a display featuring a three-dimensional model, sound recordings and plaster casts created by children from nearby Havelock Primary School. Guests were also invited to take part in a mindful movement workshop and relaxation exercises.

The ‘Open Havelock’ project has been grant-funded by the Mayor of London through the London Economic Action Partnership’s Good Growth Fund, Sport England, Peabody and A2Dominion. Following extensive consultation with the local community, work started on the new facilities in January 2022.

An additional £97,650 has been secured from Garfield Western Charity Foundation and the London Marathon Charitable Trust to improve access to the nearby Grand Union Canal, making the facilities more accessible to local people. This work will complement a £1 million ‘Wellbeing Way’ project already underway by the Canal and River Trust, Ealing Council and Peabody to improve towpaths and integrate the canal with nearby green spaces.

Peabody is also working with InFocus to recruit a band of volunteers to evaluate the social impact of the project over the next 18 months. The project was designed by award-winning architect Alison Crawshaw and built by RISE Contracts Limited.

Councillor Peter Mason, the leader of Ealing Council, said: “The Open Havelock project is an excellent example of the council and its partners coming together to make life better for our residents. By working together, we’ve delivered some outstanding facilities for local people to exercise and socialise in. And by renovating and refurbishing these formerly derelict spaces, the project has also helped us tackle several issues that residents have raised about life on the estate, like anti-social behaviour and a lack of things for young people to do. We’re delighted to see the difference this has made to the Havelock estate.” 

Deputy Mayor for Planning, Regeneration and Skills, Jules Pipe, said: “Open Havelock is a brilliant example of community co-design and how creative reuse can unlock new facilities for learning and play. It is also great to see the role of young people at the core of the project, with a range of youth activities, outreach work and local support for start-ups. We are delighted that the Good Growth Fund continues to support locally led partnership projects right across the capital as we build a better London for everyone.”  

Peabody and Ealing Council have been working together to regenerate the Havelock Estate and have built 289 new homes.

Delivery Partner: Peabody

Project Partners: Peabody and London Borough of Ealing

Architect: Alison Crawshaw Ltd.

Main contractor: RISE Contracts Limited