New sustainable café approved for Mountsfield Park
Last night, Mayor and Cabinet approved a contract for the design, build and operation of a brand new café at Mountsfield Park.
The new café will expand the current facilities available, providing visitors with increased community space, brand new accessible toilets, and an exciting menu focused on healthy eating.
Lewisham’s parks were recently ranked as “outstanding”, with Lewisham performing as the best borough in London in the latest Good Parks for London report. Mountsfield Park is one of the largest in the borough and this new community asset is hoped to attract more visitors to the area.
Efforts to be carbon neutral will be prioritised for the café’s design and build: sustainable timber will be used for its construction and an innovative Living Roof will be created to attract and promote biodiversity.
A contract award has been recommended for an initial period of fifteen years. Subject to planning permission, works are proposed to commence this year with the aim to open the café to the public later on in 2022. Once it has been designed and built, social value will be at the heart of the café’s operation with staff receiving training and development and wages matching at least the London Living Wage.
Footfall in Lewisham’s parks has increased since the start of the pandemic, with more residents recognising the benefits of parks for improving mental and physical wellbeing. The Council is committed to protecting and enhancing its green spaces, as set out in the Parks and Open Spaces Strategy 2020-2025 and the provision of this new café will complement that objective.
Damien Egan, Mayor of Lewisham, said:
“This is great news for Mountsfield Park. We’ve seen a lot of improvements to Mountsfield Park in recent years, new gym equipment, a community meadow and a new children’s playground. The plans for the new café look really exciting!”
Cllr Patrick Codd, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, said:
“This new café is going to be a fantastic addition to our beautiful Mountsfield Park. We want Lewisham residents to have the benefit of our award-winning green spaces as much as possible and the new café will have space available for a variety of community uses. We are looking forward to the new building being finished later this year for the many park users and Friends of Mountsfield Park to enjoy. It is exciting to approve a contract for such an environmentally innovative building with its Living Roof and sustainable timber - this is also a wonderful legacy for Lewisham during our Borough of Culture year with our focus throughout on the climate emergency.”