New community and youth centres have now opened at Acton Gardens, providing vibrant, modern spaces for local people to enjoy.
The Acton Gardens Community Centre and Bollo Brook Youth Centre, which are both based just off Bollo Bridge Road, will replace existing facilities on the South Acton estate. Both have been designed with substantial input from local residents and community groups.
An award winning new estate
The South Acton estate is being demolished and replaced by the award-winning Acton Gardens development. Once completed in around 2027, Acton Gardens will host at least 1,250 socially rented homes and almost a third more affordable housing than existed before regeneration began. All of those homes will be within the means of local people on moderate incomes.
The Acton Gardens Community Centre is set over 840 square metres and includes:
- One large double storey hall which can seat up to 100 people.
- Two small halls separated by bi-fold doors which open to convert the space into a larger hall.
- A double kitchen.
- Meeting rooms, smaller offices and shared workspace for small local businesses, social enterprises and start-ups to hire.
The centre will provide affordable space for hire. Staff will offer a wide range of support including assistance with funding bids, governance and growth.
Recording studio
The two-floor Bollo Brook Youth centre will run a range of projects for young people including music, art, cooking, personal development, sport and dance. The centre hosts a professional recording studio, an art area and a games space, including table tennis and pool tables.
The centres, which have been under construction since 2016, are part of a new hub for residents which also hosts a dental practice and shop. From next year the hub will be expanded further, with a nursery, GP surgery and more retail space, offering residents the services they need, on their doorstep.
A celebratory opening event is set to take place on Saturday 6 July from 11am. Councillor Julian Bell, the leader of Ealing Council, will formally open both centres with members of the Acton Gardens Community Board. With food, tours of the new facilities, face painting, a climbing wall and lots more, there will be something for all the family. There’s no need to book in advance – all you need to do is turn up on the day.
“The heart of Acton Gardens”
Councillor Yvonne Johnson, deputy leader and lead member for children’s services at Ealing Council said: “We are delighted to see Bollo Brook Youth Centre officially open. This facility will have a significant impact on youth in the community – offering an incredible range of recreational programs for young people across the borough.”
Councillor Peter Mason, lead member for housing, planning and transformation at Ealing Council said: “This really important community building will be the heart of Acton Gardens, providing a hub for residents to come together in a part of the borough that is undergoing a rapid transformation. Across Acton Gardens we are delivering 1,250 homes at social rents, and others for shared and outright ownership. Our plan to deliver 2,500 genuinely affordable homes is equalled by our ambition to build happy and healthy neighbourhoods, just like the one emerging in South Acton.”
“Strong community spirit”
Acton Gardens is being delivered in partnership between Ealing Council and Acton Gardens LLP, which is a joint venture between leading housing association L&Q and developers Countryside. Mike Woolliscroft, Managing Director, Partnerships South (West), Countryside, added: “A strong community spirit is at the heart of any neighbourhood, and so we’re thrilled to open the new community and youth centres. From the very start of the regeneration we have been committed to placemaking whilst ensuring we maintain the thriving South Acton community, and these new community facilities are crucial in achieving this.
“This purpose-built centre will create a new hub for the community, nurturing stronger bonds and a sense of wellbeing, and emphasises the importance of delivering new facilities and well thought out outdoor spaces, alongside modern, well-designed homes.”
