Hackney Council listed Colvestone Primary School as an Asset of Community Value after shuttering it in 2024
Colvestone School
Community groups in East London have unveiled their latest plans to transform the old Colvestone Primary School building into a “landmark” cultural and educational hub.
Last week a group of Hackney charities, businesses and non-profits submitted their vision for how they would “revitalise” the empty historic school site as ‘Colvestone Co-Lab’, a community space that would offer creative workshops, performances and artist studios. They have created a website and locals interested in backing the idea can sign up for free as a supporter.
Hackney Council closed the school in 2024 due to a collapse in pupil numbers, sparking a campaign from locals who wanted to keep it open. “We didn’t win that fight, but we want Colvestone to remain in the hands of the community,” said Tara Mack, a charity director, whose daughter was a pupil at the school.
Ms Mack is one of three trustees leading the bid to take over the “much-loved” Gothic-style building, along with solicitor Bill Parry-Davies and artist and lecturer Dr Mike Cooter. Mr Parry-Davies told the LDRS all three trustees’ children had attended Colvestone.
If successful, the trust will become the site’s landholder and lease it out to organisations and businesses to provide lessons in art, music, furniture, clothes-making, recycling, and more. Architect and local resident Judith Stichtenoth said she hoped the building’s “stunning” main hall could become an “inclusive arts venue”.
In its submission to the council, the trust said it would “revitalise the Grade II-listed building as a vibrant cultural and educational hub to support Dalston’s diverse social fabric and promote public wellbeing”.
The consortium added that 260 people had already signed up as supporters of the Colvestone Co-Lab vision. Colvestone was registered as an Asset of Community Value (ACV) after the school shut down in 2024.
Under the Localism Act 2011, once buildings are listed as ACVs with the local authority, the community has a right to bid for the property if the council decides to sell it. This triggers a moratorium period to allow locals to raise funds to purchase the building before any private sale takes place.
Local stakeholders involved in the bid include Pollock’s Toy Museum, Julian Joseph’s Music Hub, and artist collective V22. The latter recently purchased their studio block from Hackney Council after it moved to sell the deteriorating building off and keep it as an affordable arts space. V22 relaunched the block as the Ashwin Art Centre in September.
Musician and producer Sam Shepard, aka Floating Points, is also understood to be supporting the plans for a music hub at the Colvestone site.
The council said it received a large number of proposals for the use of the former school site. Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), Cabinet Member for Finance, Insourcing and Customer Service said this showed how important these “historical” buildings remained.
“We’re committed to keeping the communities who are invested in the future of these buildings informed and we will share further information as soon as we can,” he said.
The Town Hall said it was not able to offer a timeline for judging the many submissions at this time, but any proposals which were not demonstrably financially viable would not be taken forward.
Readers can find out more about the Colvestone Co-Lab plans at Colvestone.org
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