Contractor Beard has commenced work on a new community centre in Teddington in south west London.

The London Borough of Richmond has appointed Beard to lead on the £4.2m million project following on from its work on a £5.9m new sports hall development for Richmond upon Thames School.

The works will replace the old Elleray Hall in Teddington with a new centre on a nearby former council depot and car park site.

The old building will not be demolished until the new building is complete, meaning that there will be no interruption to services and activities offered by the hall.

Beard started preparatory works for clearing the car park and depot site earlier this year. It will begin construction of the new centre on the site at the end of April and expects to complete it by mid-2025. Beard will then move on to demolishing the existing Elleray Hall, the site of which has been earmarked for social housing.

The new centre will be highly energy efficient and will have disabled access and a new layout. The more flexible design will allow and encourage a wider range of groups and individuals to use the centre. The new building will have its own on-site renewable energy generation. Air-source heat pumps will supply heating and hot water, and a photovoltaic array, installed on the roof, will further reduce the energy consumption.

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Tom Jenkinson, Beard director for its Guildford office, said: "Following extensive community engagement on the project, we are very excited to be starting work on this wonderful new centre which will be a purpose-built, state-of-the art community facility.

"There has been extensive planning, preparation and stakeholder engagement so it’s great that the project now has the greenlight. Our work on the centre is based on our decades of experience in completing complex renovation and restoration projects, including high-profile listed buildings across the region and further afield. We will work very hard to create a new centre that the community can be proud of, and to minimise disruption during the process."

Cllr Gareth Roberts, Leader of Richmond Council said: "We are delighted to have Beard ready to get started on the long-awaited redevelopment of this site. The new Elleray Hall will provide a vital community space for residents of all ages to stay active and socialise with their neighbours, and the redevelopment also opens up space for us to build much needed affordable housing in the area."

Toine Hodgkiss, Senior Architect, ECE Architecture said: "ECE Architecture is pleased to have been appointed by Richmond and Wandsworth Councils as part of the consultant team to deliver Elleray Hall. The new building will not only bring essential enhancements to the local community’s facilities but also prioritise energy efficiency and ease of maintenance. We look forward to collaborating with Beard in delivering this project for the betterment of the local area."