Talacre Community Sports Centre is a popular and unique community facility with a range of activities available for users. The centre is over 20 years old and in need of modernisation to improve the quality, accessibility and its viability. Work is now underway to expand and upgrade the facility and the public realm between the Town Green and the Sports Centre. The proposed improvements to the existing centre are in response to increased demand and local need.
This upgrade forms part of a wider programme of work part-funded by the Council’s successful bid for funds from the Government’s Levelling Up scheme (total of £7.7m). The overall aim of the project is to:
- Remodel Talcacre Community Sports Centre to increase the capacity and quality of activity spaces. The works is part of a package of civic and physical infrastructure projects to increase opportunities for the communities of Gospel Oak, Haverstock, and Kentish Town South to live healthier and more fulfilled lives.
- Create “Green mobility hubs” - a mix of sustainable active travel options to increase active travel levels to, from and around Talacre Community Sports Centre.
- Redevelop a vacant building at 2 Prince of Wales Road into a community hub that connects residents, community organisations, businesses, and public institutions in the community to support an active and connected neighbourhood and create a healthy and connected neighbourhood.
What do we want to achieve?
- More children, young people and families able to access our popular activities for improved health, wellbeing and enjoyment.
- Improved learning environment more suited to the educational and developmental needs and expectations of children and young people
- More modern, accessible and safer facilities will draw more users and inspire them to keep coming back for a heightened feel-good factor.
- Engaging children and young people in a more user friendly and higher quality physical environment will create more conducive conditions for increasing children and young people's life skills and core values – i.e. what is right and wrong.
- Talacre will be more energy efficient and make a significant contribution to the Council's zero carbon ambition and improve the comfort of the Centre environment for our customers.
- Higher quality and flexible spaces will allow more creative and diverse activity programming in response to a broader range of physical activity needs.
Improved facilities
We are proposing several new facilities and upgrades to existing facilities such as:
- new 100sqm gymnastic studio
- new 115sqm multi-purpose exercise studio
- new multi-use space for a variety of activities
- flexible classroom space with a moveable wall
- upgraded changing rooms.
- upgraded reception area and café facilities.
- Improve the soft plat facility.
- improved access to the park
- accessible toilets for users of the centre and the park
Talacre landscape improvements
Another feature of the proposals is a more attractive and accessible connection between the adjacent Talacre Town Green and the sports centre. These improvements aim to:
- Make the proposed sports centre cafe and toilet facilities more welcoming and accessible for all and especially users of the gardens.
- Provide an improved pathway with seating, informal play and planting areas, linking the sports centre and the gardens.
- Create a series of playful circular elements within the paved areas combining planting seating and trees to help define the spaces and improve circulation.
What does this mean for existing users of the sports centre?
Our proposals focus on enhancing the existing community sports centre to meet increased demands as well as improving the open spaces around it.
We aim to keep the community sports centre open whilst the works are being conducted and will try to minimise disruption to our users.
Share your views
We know that Talacre Community Sports Centre and Gardens are popular with local residents. It is important to us that the improved spaces create opportunities to provide activities that appeal to more people especially those that may not be as active as they should be because the choice of activities may be limited and not as inclusive as they would like. oy them. We want your views about the type of activities you would like to happen at Talacre Community Sports Centre in future to help us finesse the proposed re-designed.
Our series of drop in sessions have now finished but you can still give us your feedback by:
Email us at Talacreremodelling@camden.gov.uk and provide feedback. Please respond by 30 November.
You can find out more and see draft sketches on our Talacre engagement boards
Frequently asked questions
Find out further information and answers to frequently asked questions about the project.
What happens next?
Your views and feedback will help us refine and finalise the proposals. We will then submit a planning application for the upgraded community sports centre. If all goes well, we hope to have planning permission in place at the start of 2024, which means we will be able to progress the designs further and start the works later in the year.
We expect to complete the works and launch the upgraded community sports centre in 2025.