Coming soon: new gym to take over empty Council office
The repurposed Hackney Central office is the first building to be brought back to life as part of the Mayor of Hackney’s Who Owns Hackney investigation.
Christopher Addison House, which has stood largely empty for six years, will become a gym and fitness studio while the much-loved Kings Hall Leisure Centre is closed for its landmark refurbishment.
Across three floors, it will offer a gym, including free weights, resistance and aerobic equipment, as well as studio space for exercise classes.
It is the first building to be brought back into use under the newly-elected Mayor of Hackney, Zoë Garbett, with Council officers now exploring if more Council-owned spaces can be opened up for use by the community.
The plans will ensure a part of Hackney underserved by leisure facilities will have an affordable, accessible gym throughout the Kings Hall refurbishment. It will have consistent pricing with other council leisure centres, with concessions of up to 50%, classes for over 50s, and activities through the Healthier Together Hackney weight management referral programme.
Who Owns Hackney is a new investigation commissioned by the Mayor into land use and ownership, aiming to reclaim spaces to benefit Hackney’s communities.
As part of the investigation, Mayor Garbett has asked Council teams to undertake:
- a comprehensive audit of land usage in Hackney to inform options to give the community a greater say in how spaces are used
- a full assessment of options for bringing empty spaces back into use, including opportunities to use compulsory purchase orders and community right to buy powers
- a review of how the Council’s own buildings are used, with a view to increasing access for voluntary organisations and community groups to community halls and other Council-owned spaces.
“We want to give Hackney back to its communities, reversing the increasing gentrification and growing inequality that we have seen in recent years.
“This new temporary gym will be affordable, accessible and inclusive – a signal of what we’re all about, as well as our wider ambitions as we investigate Who Owns Hackney to repurpose spaces for public good.”
Zoë Garbett, Mayor of Hackney
The new temporary gym and fitness studio will be operated by the Council’s leisure partner Better and open in early August.