Mayor reopens Newlands Hall following £150,000 refurbishment
Newlands Hall, in Putney Vale, has been given a new lease of life and will now serve as a base for the local residents’ association – as well as becoming home to the area’s Sure Start Centre before the end of June.
Wandsworth Council funded the project after hearing from members of the association, who were in desperate need of a dedicated headquarters for their community group and wanted the hall restored to its former glory.
The improvement work saw new ceilings, toilets and a kitchen put in, the installation of a ramp to improve access, the redecorating of interior spaces – and the creation of a community garden.
Leader of the council, Councillor Ravi Govindia, and opposition leader, Councillor Rex Osborn, visited the hall on Thursday May 10 to witness Mayor of Wandsworth, Councillor Jane Cooper, formally reopen it.
Chairwoman of the area’s residents’ association, Shirley Price, said:
“We were really excited to have our refurbished community centre reopened by the mayor. It will provide a welcoming venue for all residents in the heart of the Putney Vale estate.”
Councillor Paul Ellis, Wandsworth’s cabinet member for housing, said:
“Members of the Putney Vale Residents’ Association asked us to establish a base for them and we listened. This project marks the start of a bright new future for Newlands Hall and I hope that it is embraced by the wider community on the estate as a valuable facility for young and old residents to come together.”
Putney Vale estate was built in the early 1950s on part of a site known as Newlands Farm – and when the community club room opened it was known as Newlands Hall.
Over the years it was used for a variety of community activities before running costs and dwindling use forced its closure. However, following the refurbishment, it is hoped all of the existing services currently based at Stag House – a community hall on the edge of the estate – such as Sure Start will move to the hall by end of June 2012.
May 17, 2012