Celebrating the re-opening of the Jack Cornwell Community Centre by residents (Saturday 3 August 2024), Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz OBE said: “It’s been brilliant seeing the local community enjoy their new look community venue. With a well-designed and vibrant main hall, upgraded meeting rooms, brand new kitchen facilities and improvements to the outdoors it’ll be a well-used community space for local residents in the years to come."
Funded through £40million awarded to Newham Council in October 2021 to support the Council’s inclusive growth and Just Transition Climate Action plans, the investment in the Jack Cornwell Community Centre compliments the Council’s wider housing estate improvement programme underway.
Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz OBE added: “We’re investing millions of pounds across our council homes as part of a major estate improvement programme. The refurbished Jack Cornwell Community Centre is a vital community asset in the heart of the Warrior Square and Grantham Road estates which have been blighted by fly-tipping, anti-social behaviour and crime in recent years. That’s why we said to local residents that we’ll change things and working together we can put things right. The new look community centre reflects the value we place in residents making decisions about the places they live. It’s all part of our people powered agenda that we’ve been pursuing since 2018.”
Local residents marked the launch of the refurbished Jack Cornwall Community Centre with an official opening ceremony, followed by a fun-filled afternoon of free community activities including face-painting, cake decorating and giant chess; alongside Bollywood and Afro Beats dance sessions and Zumba.
The official opening follows a comprehensive 15-month process where local residents were involved in the early stages of planning and design. Led by the Council’s Community wealth Building team, Public Works Ltd, who were appointed as the lead architect, spearheaded various engagement activities and workshops, including a week-long architect in residence session. These sessions were crucial in incorporating community feedback into the design proposals. Following a successful planning approval, the Council commissioned Grenville Building Contractors Ltd to undertake the refurbishment works, with Public Works Ltd remaining as the lead consultant on the project.
The refurbishment of the Jack Cornwell Community Centre includes:
- Improvements to air flow and ventilation to the main hall.
- A bespoke storage unit, within the main hall to improve the storage in general and to house the chairs and tables.
- Improvement to the lighting in many areas of the centre, such as the main hall, café, entrance lobby and corridor, including power and lighting to the rear garden that will allow the external space to now be used at night for outdoor events.
- Revamped Café and kitchen with new openings to the rear garden and a new kitchen unit – connecting these spaces with a new look garden – featuring new planters and decking.
- Improvement to rentable spaces, through redecoration and new opening to the outdoor space bringing in more natural light. New signage to the centre above the main entrance.
- Improvement to the front of the building with new planters, and removal of fences that used to act as a barrier now made to feel more inviting.
