Frequently asked questions

The Civic Partnership Programme (CPP) is the Mayor of London’s new regeneration funding programme.

The Council are developing a strategy as part of the Civic Partnership Programme that focusses on coming up with potential sitewide improvements and programming opportunities, particularly for teenagers. 

We will be holding a series of workshops with local young people to help us develop these ideas, which will also be informed by the engagement carried out with the community to date.  

Although funding will not be immediately available to support all the ideas in the strategy, the feedback from the young people will help us explore funding opportunities from external funding sources in the future.

The strategy is a requirement to support a funding application to the Civic Partnership Programme later in 2024. The funding that could be secured through this programme, subject to a full submission and decision by GLA, is part of the funding strategy to deliver the refurbishment of the Cricket Pavilion and Tin Hut buildings.

Initial analysis of the feedback from the first stage of public engagement on the refurbishment of the Cricket Pavilion and Tin Hut has emphasised the need to involve young people in the engagement process and the importance of an offer for teenagers as well as younger children.  

We will be holding a series of workshops with local young people to help us develop the ideas for the strategy, which will also be informed by the engagement carried out with the community to date.  

We have been meeting with people who use the site and community groups to get their input too. 

We will provide an update on the workshops held with young people as part of the Civic Partnership Programme later this year.

If you have any questions, or run a local youth group that might be interested in taking part in the workshops contact us by emailing regeneration@walthamforest.gov.uk (external link). 

You can also sign up to the mailing list for this project for the latest information when it is available (external link). 

Waltham Forest Council has made significant investment in Leyton Sports Ground in recent years, including:

• Working with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to deliver the £1.7m Urban Cricket Hub in 2019.
• Repurposing the George Mitchell Arts Block to deliver multifunctional community space in 2020; and
• Entering a five-year agreement with McGuigan Gyms for the Boxing Gym in 2021

Leyton Cricket Pavilion is a much-loved Grade II listed heritage asset. However, the building is in need of restoration, with Historic England recently including it on its Heritage At Risk Register.

The Council has made initial investment in the building, undertaking urgent repairs during 2021. The Council has since been exploring opportunities to fund the Pavilion’s full restoration to its former glory by securing a long-term viable occupier to bring it back into active use, complementing the wider recreational use of the Sports Ground and supporting The Council’s 15-minute neighbourhood approach.

The Council has been exploring ways to bring the buildings back into active use and  opportunities to fund the Pavilion’s restoration by securing a long-term occupier that will complement the wider recreational use of the Sports Ground.

The Council is working with a potential operator whose proposals align with the Council’s core objectives for the site, and who can bring private investment and safeguard the buildings’ long-term future.

We held our first stage of public engagement in summer 2023 and asked for feedback on early design proposals. This feedback will be used to help develop these ideas in the future. 

Since the summer, the Council have been focusing on strengthening the funding strategy for the project before progressing with further engagement and design development. 

The Council’s objectives for the Cricket Pavilion and Tin Hut buildings are to:

• Create a community focal point at the heart of Leyton’s 15-minute neighbourhood
• Create a destination space complementing and contributing to the Sports Ground’s year-round programme of recreation, sport, wellbeing, food and culture
• Provide a space for independent business, supporting local skills, training and jobs
• Respond to the climate emergency by being a standout example of adaptive and efficient reuse of existing buildings, activated by partners who share the same environmental values
• Safeguard the long-term future of the heritage asset through investment and delivery of a viable long-term business plan

We are restoring an important piece of Leyton’s heritage. Both buildings need repair and alterations to enable them to be opened to public and new operator to move in. This investment is part of our wider plans to improve Council-owned properties and bring them back into use by the local community as well as improving the carbon footprint of our buildings as part of Council’s commitment to respond to the climate emergency.

Urgent works have been completed over last couple of years, including replacement of defective cast iron guttering and measures to stop water coming into the building; repairing damaged ceilings; replacement of broken roof tiles, damaged timber boards and beams.

We’ve utilised investment from Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme to install heat pumps, LED lighting, insulation and secondary glazing in The Pavilion. We’ve also carried out initial surveys to understand the condition of the building and completed an options appraisal for the Pavilion and Tin Hut to inform options for the buildings.

We have progressed a two-stage marketing process to identify a preferred operator.

We do not anticipate at this stage that access to any of the other buildings on Leyton Sports Ground (apart from the Tin Hut and Pavilion) will be affected by the refurbishment project.

The contractor will consider people who use the site when establishing their construction management plan. This will also be reviewed through the planning application process.

The extent of the improvement works is still to be confirmed and subject to planning and listed building consent. We anticipate the works will consist of:

• General repairs to the building
• Making the building more accessible
• Energy efficiency improvements
• Mix of internal layout changes and small extensions to both buildings to accommodate a new use
• Landscaping improvements to the space surrounding the buildings to increase biodiversity and improve resilience to climate change
• Measures to improve signage, access, and active travel to the site
• Measures to improve the heritage value of the buildings, by restoring the original elements and removing later additions to the Pavilion

Following a two-stage marketing process the Council are in ongoing negotiations with a preferred operator - a creative management, production and technology company focused on youth and family audiences. The preferred operator is seeking to provide a mix of uses across the two buildings which complement and do not compete with existing uses on the site. The proposals include:

• A Kids Club in the Tin Hut, providing secure outdoor play space, indoor soft and adventure play, alongside craft and other activities, available as a subscription-based service. This will be a local provider rather than a franchise facility. 
• A food and drink service, alongside independent and seasonal pop-up retailers and an esports/ gaming café in the Pavilion.

Once the lease has been agreed following Council procedures, we will announce the operator.

A funding application made to the Heritage Lottery Fund in 2019 to help pay for the cost of work to the Grade II Listed Building was not successful.

Previous proposals for the Real Food Hub will not happen.

The Council is now exploring opportunities to fund the Pavilion’s full restoration to its former glory and secure a long-term viable occupier to bring it back into active use, complementing the wider recreational use of the Sports Ground, and support The Council’s 15-minute neighbourhood approach.

The new provider was selected through a robust two-stage marketing process which took place in 2022 and was supported by AND London.

The opportunity was marketed on a dedicated website and hoardings. Nine organisations entered a bid for the opportunity.

The new provider selected was considered the best final offer, meeting the Council’s key objectives and did not conflict with the current uses on site or within the immediate surroundings.

No. The Council will continue to retain the freehold of the buildings and Sports Ground. The Sports Ground is held as a charitable trust and its recreational and sports use will be maintained.

The other existing uses will continue at the Sports Ground and the Council's proposed operator for the Pavilion and Tin Hut will complement existing activities and add to the site’s wider programme and offer.

The deadline for providing feedback as a part of the first stage of public engagement was in Summer 2023. There will be future opportunities to have your say on more detailed designs once these have been developed.  

We will provide an update on the workshops with young people as part of the Civic Partnership Programme later this year. 

If you have any questions about this project, you can also contact us by emailing regeneration@walthamforest.gov.uk (external link).