Waltham Forest has been looking to rejuvenate the pavilion since 2018, and initially planned to turn it into a food hall by 2021, reports Sebastian Mann, Local Democracy Reporter
Leyton Cricket Pavilion
Proposals to refurbish the cricket pavilion at Leyton Sports Ground are still in development after two failed funding bids, the council says.
Waltham Forest Council said in December it was looking at ways to restore the pavilion and tin hut to their “former glory” and secure a tenant to bring it back into active use.
The town hall has been looking to rejuvenate the pavilion since 2018, and initially planned to turn it into a food hall by 2021. Plans included a restaurant, café and training kitchen serving locally sourced food, as well as a food market selling local produce.
However, its 2019 bid for £1.5million in funding was turned down by the Heritage Lottery Fund, and plans for the “Real Food Hub” had been scrapped by early 2021.
A second bid, for a share of the Greater London Authority’s £12.85m civic partnership programme, was also unsuccessful.
The town hall is now in negotiations with an unnamed “creative management, production and technology company focused on youth and family audiences,” according to an update issued last month.
It is focusing on “strengthening the funding strategy for the project,” amid a financially turbulent time.
Councillors are forecasting the council will overspend on last year’s budget by around £17m. In October, chief executive Lindsay Roberts-Egan said the council would be “reviewing” its staffing levels amid a raft of cuts.
The authority also confirmed in the December update the previous proposals for the food hall “will not happen”.
Its general aims are for the pavilion to now be a “destination space” that compliments the sports ground and provides for independent businesses by “supporting local skills, training and jobs”. Specific details have not been finalised.
The scheme could also involve a range of improvements to the buildings, including repairs, restorations, changes to the internal layout, and improvements to accessibility.
Residents were first consulted on the plans in summer 2023, and the council held workshops for young adults and teenagers. Their ideas became part of the second unsuccessful funding application.
Once “more detailed designs have been designed,” the town hall says there will be further opportunities for residents to have their say.
The council will retain the freeholds for the sports ground and buildings. Use of the grounds is not expected to be disrupted by the works, the town hall says.
Read more about the council’s plans here
Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.
The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.
If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.
Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.
Monthly direct debit
Annual direct debit
£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else.
More information on supporting us monthly or annually
More Information about donations