Scovell Estate repairs near completion after weeks without heating in Borough
Southwark Council expects the last 42 homes to be reconnected by the end of 14 October and will set out compensation once the work is complete.
Hackney Downs Pavilion cafe plan leaves Mosaic Project fearing closure
The art group has hired the building for 12 years. The council says it can still book rooms there, but the group says it needs space of its own.
Key facts
- Hackney Mosaic Project has worked from Hackney Downs Pavilion for 12 years
- Hackney Council plans a cafe and rooms for hourly hire in the pavilion
- About 3,000 people have signed a petition against the proposals
- Revised designs are due to be published in the next few months
A community mosaic group that has been based at Hackney Downs Pavilion for 12 years is campaigning against Hackney Council’s plan to convert the building into a cafe, with rooms available to rent by the hour.
The Hackney Mosaic Project had hoped for an area of its own inside the pavilion. Members fear the group could have to shut if it loses a suitable base. About 3,000 people have signed a petition opposing the proposals.
What Hackney Council plans for the pavilion
Last year the council consulted on turning the pavilion into a cafe with flexible community space. It regards the building as underused at present. Councillor Jacob Cable, cabinet member for climate, clean air, energy and transport, said the overall response had been strongly supportive. He added that the design had been changed after the feedback, and that the revised plans would be published in the next few months.
According to Cllr Cable, the proposals include space that any community group or resident can hire. He said the mosaic group, which has booked the pavilion for around six to nine hours a week, would still be able to rent space there. The council said it would keep working closely with the project.
Why the Hackney Mosaic Project wants dedicated space
Tessa Hunkin founded the project in 2012. She said the first idea was to use mosaic as a form of therapy. In her view the council is not giving enough weight to the group’s social value. The project supports isolated and vulnerable people, she said, and does so at no cost to the council.
Sharing rooms with others is hard, Hunkin explained, because the group owns a large amount of equipment and makes a good deal of mess. “We had hoped, and still do, that the council would allow us some dedicated space,” she said. She also pointed to the neglected corners of the borough the group has decorated over the years.
One regular, Ken, described the members as a small family. He said that as a former alcoholic, the sessions gave him a place to spend his days rather than staying at home.
Key questions
What is planned for Hackney Downs Pavilion?
Hackney Council wants to convert it into a cafe with flexible community rooms that groups and residents can rent by the hour.
Can the Hackney Mosaic Project stay at the pavilion?
The council says the group can carry on hiring space there. The group wants dedicated space of its own and fears it could close without it.
When will the revised pavilion designs be published?
The council says it has changed the design after its consultation and will publish the changes in the next few months.
Gipsy Hill tenant and her nephew in hospital after council house ceiling gives way again
Venesha Rose says repairs to her Lambeth Council home failed to fix the cause, and she has been raising leaks with the council since 2024.
Ombudsman again criticises HMP Wandsworth over emergency codes after 2021 death
No control room record shows when a code blue was called after Aktar Uddin was found unresponsive in his cell on Christmas Day 2021.
Hammersmith and Fulham weighs council tax rises of up to 150% to fill £160m gap
Under the largest option, a Band D bill would reach £2,522.50 a year before the GLA precept. The council leader says protecting services comes first.