The regeneration of Fellowship Square

A project with community at it’s heart, UK Fit Out’s project team have been working tirelessly with the Council to refurbish and regenerate the much-loved historic buildings that make up the town hall complex and open up the site to the community. This redevelopment will transform the way the Council operates and delivers services to Waltham Forest residents, with the partnership also generating over £3m in social value for the borough in the process.

Building on a history of civic pride, ISG was appointed on this first phase to work closely with the Council to ensure a high-quality, respectful refurbishment of the historic Grade II-listed Town Hall buildings and fountain area. This will see the delivery of a modern, sustainable, and inclusive workplace for council staff, alongside the revival of the surrounding space to become more open and accessible to residents, staff, and visitors alike – adapting to the changing needs of Waltham Forest in the 21st century.

Following the grand opening of Fellowship Square, phase two of the wider redevelopment surrounding the Town Hall building will commence – delivering approximately 500 new homes in the area, alongside new open spaces and opportunities for leisure, entertainment, and commercial spaces. Fellowship Square is a key part of the Council’s plans to ensure economic recovery welcoming visitors from across London and further afield, giving a further boost to Waltham Forest's well-established reputation as a cultural destination.

With a keen focus on delivering a sustainable legacy for the borough, the project team have generated an incredible £3.4m in social value for the development. From local procurement and student work experience to restoring environments for local charities, our UK Fit Out and Social Value teams have closely aligned with the council’s ambitions throughout, finding ways to incorporate the community at every level of the project.

Further building on the project’s sustainable ambitions, the team donated carpet tiles from another project to three local charitable organisations in Waltham Forest: The Salvation Army, Waltham Forest Community Hub and Age UK; replacing existing flooring throughout the buildings and developing a stage for The Waltham Forest Community Hub to host local community group events.

Further strengthening local social value chains, the team also supported Age UK in bringing their community garden to life, digging up earth, planting new flowers and putting in a shelter – transforming it from a derelict and unused plot of land, to a flourishing communal space.

With a drive to nurture young talent and develop understanding of the opportunities the construction industry has to offer, the team also relished the opportunity to partner with Waltham Forest College. ISG has supported local students on trade-based NVQ courses in offering electrical, plumbing, carpentry and decorating work experience placements with our sub-contractors onsite.

Joseph Holmes, a level two student doing a BTEC diploma in Carpentry, took on a one-week work placement shadowing a carpenter from subcontractor, Cre8. Whilst on the placement he asked for additional days to gain further experience during his Easter break, taking on extra work at Cre8’s factory. His enthusiasm and work ethic resulted in an offer of a full-time apprenticeship, for which he gratefully accepted and thanked ISG and Cre8 for the unique opportunity.

Further demonstrating the diverse range of future opportunities on offer, Waltham Forest College’s Art and Graphics students also gained invaluable experience from the project, working with our signage sub-contractor to enhance their branding skills, learning how signage is created and why branding and advertising is so important on a project.

The project team additionally worked with one of the Digital Media students, involving them in every stage of the project’s developments to put together a short video comprised of shots taken from time lapse cameras inside and outside of the town hall – to be shared with the rest of the community.

Continuing the legacy as the first ever London Borough of Culture in 2019, the completion of the first stage of this landmark project was celebrated with the commencement of a season of summer events. The space was unveiled and set alight with celebration and laughter through a series of events, including an evening of comedy programmed by Soho Theatre which ISG was proud to partner.