Wansteadium

Redbridge Council has approved plans to convert the former Wanstead Youth Centre on Elmcroft Avenue into a new education hub. Community use of the building will continue, the council says, but the large gymnasium at the back of the site is to be converted into classrooms.

In a statement, the council said:

Redbridge Council’s Cabinet Committee have approved exciting plans to deliver a new Education and Youth hub on the site of the former Wanstead Youth Centre.

The plans include significant investment in developing the building and outdoor space for the benefit of all residents across Redbridge. The new development will benefit the local community, children, young people, and local community groups.

The new Education and Youth Hub, a project shaped by the input of the local community through extensive consultations and feedback sessions, will secure the long-term future of youth and community services in the area.

Through shared facility use between the Council’s Education and Youth Services and the community, it will provide modern education facilities for children and young people aged between 0 and 19, ensuring a high standard of learning.

In addition, the new facility will also support the growing need for a range of specialist education facilities for children and young people. It will do so through a dedicated and spacious learning environment while providing high-quality facilities and resources for families with babies and children under five.

The Education and Youth hub will also provide high-quality youth and community facilities for local young people, adults, community groups, voluntary agencies, and private providers in the evening, at weekends, and during school holidays.

The Early Years Play and Development Centre, a unique feature of the new facility, will be located at the front of the hub. It will host a kitchen, lounge area, community cafe, playroom, and sensory room. There will also be an infant feeding room, reception, office space, therapy space and a music recording studio. As part of the plans, the main gymnasium will be retained. The rear gymnasium will be converted into further classrooms, a dining hall and multipurpose practical space for the alternative provision.

The Leader of Redbridge Council, Cllr Kam Rai, said: “Very few, if any, local authorities are investing in community facilities like Redbridge. This new facility will provide a safe and nurturing environment for children and young people and offer a range of high-quality services for families and the wider community, enhancing the quality of life for local people.

“More than a decade of Government austerity has significantly impacted Redbridge, having £150m less to spend on local services every year. Despite these challenges, we are committed to delivering vital services and investing in what matters most to our neighbours, and we are making this happen by using a ringfenced educational grant.

“We understand the importance of youth services, and that’s why we have decided to provide a much-improved centre for local people now and for future generations.”

Unlike other leisure and community buildings, Wanstead Youth Centre incurs a significant net cost and requires a council-funded subsidy. In April 2022, a building condition survey was completed, highlighting that considerable structural work would be essential to bring the facility up to modern standards. The new Education and Youth Hub is designed to be financially sustainable, ensuring its long-term viability.

The building dates from the mid-1940s and requires significant structural work to bring it up to a good standard. In April 2022, a building survey revealed that essential repairs were estimated to cost £2.4 million. Moreover, the centre, which used to host private events, incurred a loss of nearly £90,000 from 2022 to 2023.

The new Education and Youth Hub is set to open in September 2025.

Dear Wanstead Society member

It was sad to hear that the Wanstead Society has decided to close after many years of highlighting the kinds of issues that many Wanstead residents care about. It can be proud of the role it has played in civic life.

The fact that there has been an organisation like the Wanstead Society at all is thanks to a small number of dedicated activists and a much larger number of supporters who have helped it in the background with their involvement and – crucially – their subscriptions.

As one organisation closes, though, another one is developing. The Wanstead Fringe Association has successfully run the Fringe for 11 years and is now becoming a bigger organisation. Thanks to the opportunity to make something lasting of the Wanstead Curtain (the hall at Wanstead Methodist Church), there is the chance to play a role in shaping the future of Wanstead in other ways. The plan is for the Curtain to become a regular theatre, cinema and performance space as part of increased artistic and cultural activity here.

But to do it the Fringe needs support of Wanstead residents.

So we are inviting Wanstead Society members – along with anyone else who wants to be part of this new thing – to join as members of the Wanstead Fringe Association. Membership is a minimum of £10 per year and is available here.

The Wanstead Fringe would be delighted to have you on board.

Best wishes

Giles Wilson
Chair, Wanstead Fringe

Wanstead Parish is seeking a new part-time manager. But that’s not the only opening this week – Wansteadium is proud to open its Wanstead Jobs Board, where any local employer can let our readers know about vacancies that need filling.

You can find details of the Wanstead Parish job, and how to advertise any vacancies you might be responsible for, on this page:

Redbridge is again inviting residents to have a say on budget priorities as it works out its spending plans for next year.

A survey has been launched by the council. A spokesperson said: “We want your views on what matters most, and how we can keep our communities safe and healthy and keep our borough clean, green, and welcoming.

“We want to inform you about the difficult decisions we, Redbridge Council, will make when prioritising spending to keep vital services running while balancing a squeezed budget.”

Redbridge says it has lost more than 54p for every £1 of government grant funding, meaning it has £150m less to spend on local services each year.

“Despite the challenges of rising inflation, increasing demand, and reduced government funding, Redbridge Council is innovating to continue delivering with less and protecting the vital services that matter most to local people,” the spokesperson added. “Your responses to the survey questions will help us set the budget for our services in Redbridge for 2026-26.”

Hours after Redbridge workers carefully laid out fresh soil for planting next to a significant road improvement scheme, some nitwit walked all the way through it like it was a pile of leaves.

The new bit of pavement significantly reduces the width of the end of Nightingale Lane where it meets Nelson Road, outside the Duke. The junction has been perilous for pedestrians even before they’ve been to the pub because it was just so wide – it was perfectly possible to start crossing with no cars in sight, only for two or three to arrive by the time you got to the middle of the road.

So the improvements, and planting are welcome indeed. Now the grass just needs to be allowed to grow.

The George and Dragon, formerly the George, will not be opening before Christmas, drinkers have been told, meaning it will be a festive season without their favourite watering location.

Signs outside the pub, which is undergoing some refurbishment, promise a reopening in January – and also announce a recruitment process which will be welcome news to many former bar staff.