New pavilion plan. Same community ambition

A simpler design and the next steps towards getting Moormead Pavilion built. Plus, a big thank you for a community picnic full of sunshine, music and camel racing.    

We’ve got an important update to share: we’re moving on from the original ‘egg-shaped’ pavilion design and working towards a simpler, rectangular building.

The reason is cost. Despite exploring ways to simplify the original design, it’s proved too expensive to build.    

For months, we’ve been working with Richmond Council and construction experts to find an affordable way forward.

The shape is changing, but the ambition remains: a welcoming pavilion with a café, indoor community space, accessible toilets, and facilities that help more people enjoy our park.

With around £550,000 already secured, and detailed work underway on two building options, we’ve got a strong foundation for the next stage.

Why we’re changing the design

The original design was developed before Brexit and Covid. Since then, construction costs have risen sharply. Cost-of-living pressures and changing funding priorities have made fundraising more difficult.

We explored ways to bring the costs down. But construction remained too complicated to deliver within a sensible budget. We’ve now made the decision to retire the original design.

A simpler building gives us a more realistic route to delivering the facilities our community needs.

Doing the homework

We commissioned a structural engineer to assess the existing building. We then asked a quantity surveyor to compare three options: refurbish the old structure, demolish it and build a traditional new pavilion, or replace it with a modular building made off-site.

All three were assessed against the same specifications so we could compare them fairly.

We took the findings to Council, who agreed that refurbishment was no longer viable. That left two options to explore: a traditional rebuild and a modular pavilion.

The Council is looking at a smaller, traditional building. And we’re exploring the modular build.

The task now is to work out which approach offers the best value, meets the community’s needs and makes the most of the funding we have.

What happens next?

We’re in the process of getting quotations for the modular build option, whilst the Council are working on an estimate for the traditional build option. We’ll share an update on the options by the end of October.

A new design will need a new planning application, and we’re working closely with the Council on that.

This has been a long journey. We know how much people want to see the pavilion doors open. The work already done – securing funding, understanding what our community needs, and testing the building options – gives us a solid basis to finish what we started.

Our community picnic: sunshine, camels and a good catch-up

We talked through these changes with many of you at our community picnic on 6 September. Your response has energised us. The message we heard was simple: what matters most is getting a pavilion built for our community to enjoy.

And the picnic was a lovely reminder of just how much there is to enjoy together.

The sun came out. Music filled the park. There was delicious food, plenty of catching up, and some surprisingly popular camel racing. Boccia was a hit again, too.

A huge thank you to Marble Hill Dance School, Perrin Jazz Collective, Penny Lynch, Alex Driver and Joshua Jarvis for the brilliant performances.

Thanks to Doughful Turkish Pancakes, Isaac’s Coffee and Spice Up, and everyone who supplied the ice cream, candy floss, popcorn and other treats that kept us going.

And to everyone who organised (we’re looking at you, Vanessa!), set up, ran games and activities, helped on the day and cleared away afterwards: thank you.

Most of all, thanks to everyone who came along. For playing, listening, chatting, asking about the pavilion and spending a sunny afternoon with your neighbours.

Have a question about the plans? Or some time and skills to help us move things forward? Email hello@mcsp.org.uk. We’d love to hear from you.

We’ll be back with more news by the end of October.

Moormead Pavilion Team