A new church and community centre at the heart of the Hale Village in Tottenham has taken official ownership of its permanent premises at a handover ceremony attended by the Bishop of London and Tottenham MP David Lammy.
 
The Engine Room and St Francis Church is a community centre and the first new Anglican church to be erected in London in almost 40 years. Spearheaded by the Diocese of London working in partnership with Lee Valley Estates, Newlon Housing Trust and London City Mission, it has been created to put a community resource and place of worship at the heart of the new housing development in the Hale Village.
 
For the past two years the Engine Room has been operating out of temporary premises and is now able to begin work on the interior of the permanent building in preparation for its official opening in 2017.
 
The Bishop of London and David Lammy MP were shown inside the new building which will now be fully fitted and furnished to provide the community with a 24-space nursery, a café, two community halls, a learning workshop and a chapel for prayer and worship. They also had an opportunity to meet with the project team, including the main contractors, the Mission Team at the Engine Room and members of the local community who have been involved in the project.
 
The Bishop of London said:
 
“Today’s event marks a significant milestone in the life of this important project. As the St Francis Church and Engine Room team starts interior work on its new premises the Hale Village community can look ahead to 2017 with great anticipation for what I know will be an integral part of community life in Tottenham.”
 
David Lammy MP said:
 
“I have taken a great interest in this project since it was first launched because I believe the Engine Room vision to engage communities, foster harmony and build a real sense of identity in the Tottenham community is a vital one. Seeing the new building today and hearing about the interior plans really brought home how important this project will be as the Tottenham Hale area grows over coming years.”
 
Priest Missioner Andrew Williams, said:
 
“Being given the keys to our new home and being able to celebrate the occasion with the Bishop of London and David Lammy has been a great pleasure and a huge boost to the team at Tottenham Hale, which has worked so hard to get the project to this point. We’re now looking forward to fitting the building out so we’re ready to open our doors to the Tottenham community in 2017”
 
The Engine Room Community Centre and St Francis Church is situated opposite where the London riots started in 2011 and is part of a major redevelopment project in the local area. The Hale Village development in Tottenham Hale will see accommodation developed for 16,000 new residents over the next 10-15 years on the boundaries of St Mary’s and Holy Trinity Tottenham.