Fellowship Square, Walthamstow

The Fellowship Square programme is a once in a lifetime opportunity to create a new neighbourhood and cultural centre in the heart of the borough. 

Located on the town hall site on Forest Road, the programme has refurbished and regenerated the much-loved historic buildings that make up the town hall complex and opened up the site to the community. In doing so, it has transformed the way the Council operates and delivers services to Waltham Forest residents.

Fellowship Square is building on the legacy of Waltham Forest being the first ever Mayor’s London Borough of Culture in 2019. 

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It is providing opportunities for new leisure, entertainment and learning spaces, shops and cafes, and providing jobs for local people and brand new, affordable homes prioritised for Waltham Forest residents.

In January 2020 the Council announced leading UK developer Countryside Partnerships as the delivery partner for Phase 2 of the Fellowship Square project. 

In September 2021 Countryside Partnerships secured planning permission to move forward with the transformation of the Town Hall Campus to create a brand-new neighbourhood and cultural hub in the heart of the borough, completing the Council’s vision of a distinct, welcoming civic space and cultural venue. 

The development will continue to build on the success of the first phase of works that was completed in July 2021 seeing the historic Grade II listed Town Hall fully refurbished and the creation of Fellowship Square. The state-of-the-art water feature has been hugely popular with residents and visitors, hosting a series of free summer events and activities, and sees hundreds of visitors each day.

The first phase of works at Fellowship Square has been recognised with the following awards:

• RIBA East London Regional Award 2023
• Civic Trust Awards 2023
• Landscape Institute Awards 2022 - Excellence in Landscape Construction
• SPACES Awards 2022 - Civic Building of the Year
• SPACES Awards 2022 - Heritage Category
• Waltham Forest Design Awards 2022

This phase of the ambitious programme includes hundreds of new jobs, including during construction and supply chain opportunities, as well as a programme for schools and colleges to visit and learn about apprenticeships and training opportunities.

Demolition of The Magistrates and Sycamore House was completed in September 2022 to enable the delivery of much-needed new homes, half of which are affordable.

The programme will deliver:

• 433 new, high-quality homes prioritised for local people, with 50 per cent affordable by habitable room. Eleven per cent of these homes will be wheelchair adaptable homes
• A new Civic building with ground floor café/restaurant space opening onto Fellowship Square
• New high-quality public spaces including the Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Garden behind the Town Hall
• New landscaped gardens with over 200 new trees and play facilities on Chestnuts Field alongside an all-weather path around the perimeter of the field and a new Sensory Garden
• A Sustainable Urban Drainage Wetlands on the western edge of Chestnuts Field, improving biodiversity and providing ecological benefits
• A new crèche/nursery space
• A new shop/commercial space
• Car-free residential development with improved pedestrian and cycling routes from Forest Road and throughout the site

In 2024, residential homes in Block B were completed providing 61 affordable homes for local people including 27 for Waltham Forest residents on the priority housing list. 

A new Sustainable Urban Drainage Wetlands was created which mitigates flooding across the site whilst simultaneously increasing biodiversity and encourages new habitats for wildlife. You can check out our information boards around the Wetlands which tells you all about the amazing wildlife you can see here. We also installed a new all-weather path linking Fellowship Square to the Feel Good Centre for pedestrians and cyclists. 

At the start of 2024, the car park at the back of the Town Hall was transformed into a haven for wildlife as well as a place for calm and reflection with the creation of The Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Garden and Sensory Garden. Both gardens provide tranquil spaces, which include a selection of Her Late Majesty’s favourite plants and over 60 new trees planted in the immediate area. These works form part of the public improvements funded through the development partnership.

Information panels tell the story of the gardens and The Arch, including the original five relief sculptures on the north face of the Town Hall by John Francis Kavanagh. 

Find out more about the Henry Moore sculpture. 

Step-free access from Fellowship Square to Chestnuts Field has opened, providing improved pedestrian and cycle routes across the site.

We also celebrated the groundbreaking of a new civic building in Fellowship Square in the summer of 2024. The civic building on the site of the former Magistrates Court will provide a ground floor commercial space onto Fellowship Square with civic office space above. Located directly opposite Walthamstow Assembly Hall, the Civic building will complete the original masterplan for a trio of buildings originally designed by architect Phillip Hepworth. The original Town Hall was completed during World War II meaning the original plan had to be scaled back. With a sympathetic design, the civic building is a modern interpretation of the Stripped Classicism style of the Town Hall and Assembly Hall that were completed in 1942.

The next section of the all-weather path linking Spruce Hills Road to the Feel Good Centre was completed in 2025 and the final section from Spruce Hills Road to Fellowship Square is due to complete in 2026.

A new a drinking water fountain for both humans and dogs was installed near the Sensory Garden on edge of Chestnuts Field as part of the improvements in 2025.

In December, 53 affordable new homes in Lotus Point (Block C) of the development will be handed over to the Council, providing stable, high-quality housing for local people and families on our housing register.

As Phase Two progresses, Waltham Forest Council will continue engaging with local residents and the community to gain essential feedback on the transformation. 

Countryside will be working alongside the Council for the remainder of the redevelopment.