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Case study: Co-produced community facilities redevelopment

This case study is aimed at local authority planning, regeneration and property officers, as well as voluntary and community sector organisations.

Summary

The Selby Trust manages the Selby Centre, a major multi-purpose community centre at the heart of Tottenham. The Selby Centre brings together a rich mix of individuals and organisations, primarily from racialised and other historically excluded communities in Haringey,  Enfield, and beyond.

The building the centre uses is reaching the end of its useful life. At the same time, there is increasing pressure on land due to the housing shortage. Selby Trust runs the centre partnered with Haringey Council as freeholder, with investment allowing centre redevelopment.

The plans were co-produced with Selby Trust and the communities that use it. They include new housing, alongside a replacement community centre with sports hall, community hall and outdoor sporting facilities.  

Challenge

As communities grow and evolve, their needs and wants change. The facilities that communities use have to adapt to meet those changing needs. If community facilities are adapted and developed without community engagement, new facilities may not be fit for purpose either. If this happens, these facilities may not be able to serve local communities effectively.

London's housing shortage is well-documented. It puts increasing pressure on all land in the capital, including land occupied by community facilities, placing them at risk of being lost, or no longer able to serve local communities. 

The Selby Trust (established in 1993) operates the Selby Centre in Tottenham, in the London Borough of Haringey. The centre brings together a rich mix of individuals and organisations, primarily from racialised and other historically excluded communities across north London and beyond.

The centre has over 30 organisations delivering services and support to local communities on site. This includes a food hub, sports activities, holiday programmes for young people, business to business support and events hire. The centre, while actively used, has limited facilities that cannot fully meet the needs of the communities it serves.

Aim

The Selby Trust wanted to:

  • offer fit for purpose facilities, that can serve their communities now and in future
  • secure long-term site occupation, and tenure security 
  • raise awareness so key stakeholders better understand voluntary sector capacity limitations, especially those run by Black and minoritised communities 
  • contribute to addressing the local housing shortage. 

Action

The Selby Trust and Haringey Council formed a partnership to redevelop the Selby Centre into a fit-for-purpose 21st century community facility with residential development alongside. This partnership involved:

  • developing a memorandum of understanding, setting out joint aspirations while agreeing partner ways of working

  • co-producing the new site's design with local communities, building on relationships developed by the Selby Trust over many years 

  • joint fundraising activities to deliver the project. 

Impact

The trust secured significant investment (including from central government) to deliver the project. The Selby Trust and Haringey Council developed and agreed replacement Selby Centre proposals and plans, co-designed with local communities to make sure local people's needs were met. 

These plans include:

  • 4,820 sqm multi-purpose office space
  • a new community café
  • a community hall
  • a soft play area and creche
  • a boxing club for young people
  • a four-court sports hall
  • a floodlit full-sized artificial grass pitch for football and rugby
  • two junior grass football pitches
  • an artificial non-turf cricket pitch
  • a multi-use games area. 

The partnership achieved a long-term future for this important community facility, with the Selby Trust expected to be granted a long lease to operate the replacement centre. The redevelopment plan also released land for over 200 new homes. 

Next steps for you

  • Consider best practice in community engagement when bringing forward regeneration and housing proposals.

  • Work collaboratively to bring together expertise of different partners (especially from the voluntary and community sector) to achieve deep and meaningful community co-production.

  • Consider comprehensive approaches to regeneration that address housing need while protecting and future-proofing cultural and community facilities.

If you would like to find out more, please email [email protected].

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