Redbridge has brought a hall off Kenneth More Road back into use for community groups. Room for about 60, a kitchen, step-free access, one email to book.

Redbridge Council has reopened a refurbished hall in Ilford town centre and made it available to community groups to hire.

Janice Mews opened on Wednesday 26 August, according to the council’s announcement. The council describes it as a newly refurbished hall brought “back into use to help voluntary and community organisations continue the work they do every day across the borough”.

What is in it

The council’s description of the building is short and specific:

  • space for around 60 people
  • a kitchen
  • accessible toilets
  • step-free access

It is intended for meetings, advice sessions, classes, social events “and other activities that help people stay connected”.

Where it is

Janice Mews is a short road off Kenneth More Road in Ilford town centre. The council places it “in Ilford Town Centre, just around the corner from the Kenneth More Theatre” in the Leader’s update of 28 August. The theatre stands on Kenneth More Road itself, a short walk from Ilford station and the Exchange shopping centre.

The council has not published a street number, a postcode or a page for the venue. We searched its own website and its Discover Redbridge directory on 30 August and found no entry for it. Anyone planning to visit will need to ask for the address when they enquire.

The first group in has no premises of its own

The first organisation using the hall is Awaaz, which the council describes as “a charity that provides services that empower women from diverse backgrounds to improve their health and wellbeing”.

Awaaz is the working name of the Redbridge Education & Social Welfare Support Group, registered charity number 1110819. Its entry on the Charity Commission register gives a useful measure of the sort of organisation a council hall is for:

  • it registered on 11 August 2005, so it has been running for 21 years
  • its total income in the year to 31 March 2025 was £14,547, against expenditure of £22,246
  • £4,040 of that income came from a single government grant
  • it has five trustees and two volunteers
  • the register records that it does not own or lease any land or property

Its own website says it runs ESOL classes, chair-based exercise, knitting and crochet, flower arranging, creative writing and cooking sessions, and describes its aim as being “a voice of women in Redbridge”.

An organisation with an annual income of under £15,000 and no building of its own is exactly the sort that cannot rent commercial function space in Ilford. That is the practical point of the announcement.

Cllr Kam Rai, Leader of Redbridge Council, said: “This space has been created specifically for those people in our community who give so much. They give their time and their resources to help other people. So it’s only right that we create a space for them to use throughout the week.”

What it means for you

  • To book it, the council gives one route: email Abbas.Mirza@redbridge.gov.uk. There is no online booking form and no published availability calendar.
  • Ask about the cost. The council has not published a hire fee, a deposit or the hours the building is available. It says only that the hall is “open and available for community groups to hire”.
  • Ask for the address in writing when you enquire, since the council has not published one.
  • Check the access you need. Step-free access and accessible toilets are stated. Parking, hearing loops and kitchen equipment are not.
  • If your group is not a charity, the wording is “community groups” and “voluntary and community organisations”, not registered charities only. It is worth asking.

The council has not said how much it spent on the refurbishment, or where the money came from. We will update this page if it publishes those figures.

Sources