Brixton: Town centre investment for local communities
Lambeth Council is investing £4million, including backing worth £2.17million from the GLA’s Good Growth Fund, to make improvements to the Brixton Recreation Centre, Brixton Station Road and Beehive Place. The town centre project aims to enhance the best of what is already there, and create improvements for Brixton’s local communities, businesses and market traders, as well as visitors to the area.
Cllr Matthew Bennett, Lambeth’s Cabinet member for Planning, Investment and New Homes, said: “This initiative will put the Rec back at the centre of Brixton’s day-to-day life and improve Brixton Station Road and Beehive Place so that these vital areas of social and cultural life work better now and into the future.
“We are focused on working with our communities and now the Covid-19 restrictions are easing we have a great opportunity to test where we’ve got to, and get wider feedback. This is a real opportunity for people to have their say on this important project.”
Residents are invited to have their say, join an online meeting or join on street discussions. Visit lambeth.gov.uk/revitalising-brixtons-rec-quarter/get-involved for details.
The proposals have been developed in collaboration with muf architecture/art and local groups such as Brixton Market Traders’ Federation, Brixton BID, Brixton Rec User Group, the traders of the street, Photofusion and Max Roach Adventure Playground.
Through work with social historian Kelly Foster, muf found much of the Rec’s historical importance has not been fully documented. As part of the project these histories will be captured and put on permanent public display – proposals include a Wall of Fame to celebrate sports people who trained at the Rec and a plaque at the landing on the Rec stairs to commemorate local events, such as Nelson Mandela’s visit in 1996.
Mains power will be provided to the pitches so that stallholders no longer have to fall back on ad hoc arrangements. Urgent repairs to the road surface will make it safer for pedestrians, and new lighting will create more security in the evenings and early mornings. Trees will be planted in agreement with individual business owners.
The Rec’s public areas will be opened up and enhanced, with long views established through the building, bringing the existing social life of the Rec to the foreground. New facades for the Rec shopfronts will balance privacy with potential for display and invitation to passers-by.
A large and underused storage space in the Rec will be transformed to a new workspace fronting Beehive Place. The brief for this space is that it must be able to support affordable workspace and education, employment and training opportunities for local people.
A planning application for the work is expected to be submitted over the summer with the work potentially set to start later in the year and running into 2022. Visit our website for more details lambeth.gov.uk/revitalising-brixtons-rec-quarter.