Improved public spaces in Leyton to benefit local residents

New design revealed for public square with nursery and sport facilities.

Waltham Forest Council and its development partner Taylor Wimpey have revealed a new design for the centre of Coronation Square in Leyton. Coronation Square will be a vibrant public space and a hub for creativity, leisure, sports and culture, which provides a place for the community to come together in a new destination for Leyton town centre. 

The scheme includes 750 homes, of which 50 per cent are affordable, surrounding a dynamic public square that will become the heart of the new community. 

The development also includes plans for a new health hub, a pre-school nursery, an enhanced indoor sports and leisure centre with community facilities, and new commercial space for shops and businesses.

Construction is well underway with phase one due to complete in spring 2025. Following the opening of the leisure centre and nursery, phase two will see the existing Score Centre demolished and new homes built on the site. Phase two is due to be completed in late 2026.

To ensure the square is a welcoming and vibrant public space that meets the needs of new and existing residents, Taylor Wimpey recently reviewed its plans with landscape architect Outerspace following two engagement sessions hosted by Waltham Forest Council in March 2022.

The new designs (pictured above) allow for a better flow with the other planned facilities, such as the sports centre and café. The commercial spaces offering food and beverages will now provide outdoor seating.

The updated designs also encourage a greater level of socialising and play, allowing a wider range of community events, and includes more planting and habitats for wildlife.

Richard Broome, Managing and Creative Director at Outerspace, said: “We wanted to better connect humans and nature in the market square, and the new design achieves that by providing comfort, greenery and flexible spaces that encourage fun, socialising and relaxation. This will lead to residents feeling more welcomed and wanting to spend more time there.

“We have full confidence that the new square will be a place that the new and existing community will be immensely proud to live near and be part of its life and success.”

The new design includes three times more greenery, with five more trees than in the original layout (34 in total).

The space is intended to act as a single destination space for the community and is divided into four clear areas.

A sensory garden off Oliver Road will offer a place of solitude and tranquillity, with seating set within lush planting beds. Beyond this is an open 'transition space' with further seating for rest and reflection under a large tree.

A flexible activity space will be the biggest of the four areas. Interactive fountains will offer fun for children and families, with seating under adjacent trees for parents and the wider community. On some days a market will be held, offering plenty of exciting sights, sounds and smells.

Cllr Ahsan Khan, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing and Regeneration, said: “In this part of Leyton, we are building the foundations not just for affordable high-quality homes, but a new neighbourhood that all residents can enjoy centred around the public square. The new designs show how exciting the space will be for new and existing residents. It’s tailored for the Leyton community - we know these spaces work well in Waltham Forest from the success of Fellowship Square in Walthamstow and I can’t wait to see the positive impact Coronation Square will have when it’s finished.”

Michael O’Leary, Regional Sales and Operations Director at Taylor Wimpey London, said: “Creating a place to live is about so much more than giving people a roof over their heads. Residents need beautiful, calming, comfortable places to play, relax, get close to nature and meet their neighbours.

“We think this new market design does all that and more. We’re really excited by it and we hope that the local community will be too.”

Pictured above: A 2021 computer generated image of a Leyton street scene at Coronation Square.

Find out more about Coronation Square on the Council website. To find out more about the new Shared Ownership homes, visit the Taylor Wimpey website.