Community mosaic group ‘faces eviction after more than a decade’ from Hackney Downs Pavilion

One group member said the pavilion is ‘where our heart is’. Photograph: Hackney Mosaic Project

A community arts group could face eviction from Hackney Downs Pavilion after more than 10 years if council plans to turn the space into a cafe are approved.

Hackney Mosaic Project has been operating out of the pavilion since 2013, but could lose its access to the space under the current proposals.

The group’s founder, Tessa Hunkin, opposes the plans and has already rejected a proposal to move the group to Springfield Park, a 32-minute walk away. 

She told the Citizen: “I have an established group in the Hackney Downs area. A lot of them have physical problems and so moving too far away from this area would make it very difficult for them to continue to attend. It wouldn’t be the same to up sticks and start again with a new space. 

The group has met multiple times a week for more than 10 years. Photograph: Hackney Mosaic Project

“The project is about these people, the people that I have been working with for years, and I don’t  want to lose that. This is where our heart is.”

Hackney Mosaic Project currently meets at the pavilion every Wednesday and Friday, and every other Saturday. Group member Ken Edwards, 61, said the group is deeply rooted in Hackney Downs. 

“We need to be in Hackney Downs because not only do we have our family here, but we have the  community as well,” he said. “Being kicked out after 10 years is, to put it mildly, disgraceful.” 

Under the current plans the cafe – which would seat up 40 people – would take over the space currently used by the mosaic group. However, earlier plans suggested a layout which could have accommodated both.  

“One of these plans shows the small cafe and two lettable spaces,” Hunkin added. “So one of those could be the space for children’s parties, and the other one could be for us.” 

The group has created a number of mosaics which are now on display around the borough. Photograph: Hackney Mosaic Project

Councillors Alastair Binnie-Lubbock (Green) and Michael Desmond (Labour) told the Citizen the council should give the community group greater consideration when assessing the plans.

Binnie-Lubbock said the mosaic project is “a cornerstone of the park community”.

“They’ve been keeping the pavilion alive and in use for years, and that needs to be properly recognised and valued,” he told the Citizen. “The council should co-design plans with Hackney Mosaic [Project] and, if at all possible, ensure that a space is made available for them to remain in the park, whether that’s in the pavilion with the new cafe, in the huts on the bowling green or elsewhere.”

Desmond said he supports adding “a decent café,” but hopes the council will take into account the needs of the group.

“I support the gist of the proposals to make better use of the pavilion with a decent cafe, which the community needs,” he said. “But I hope the council will develop the community space within the current designs, for use by the Mosaic Group.”

The group meets twice a week and every other Saturday. Photograph: Hackney Mosaic Project

A council spokesperson said the entire building would be revamped, with the plans set to “address long-standing views shared by local people that the pavilion’s existing changing rooms are infrequently used.” 

“We value the support the Hackney Mosaic Group has provided to some of the most vulnerable  members of our community for many years,” they said. 

“However, the pavilion the group hires for six to nine hours a week is currently underused and we are proposing to transform it into a cafe and community space.”  

Hunkin acknowledged the changing rooms in the pavilion – which are not used by the group – are “redundant” but said the group would make better use of the space if given the chance. 

“I am aware that we’ve been unbelievably lucky for the last few years,” she said. “But if we had a lease or something, I can guarantee we would use [the building] more.” 

The council said it is continuing to look for a new home for the group after a move to Springfield  Park was rejected. 

A consultation on the pavilion plans is open until 17 December. You can read more about it here.