With its vibrant and distinctive façade, the building will be a landmark in the neighbourhood. Designed to be welcoming it employs a playful, colourful and translucent façade. Rich materials like dark matte brick and perforated metal cladding, provides additional depth and texture to the building’s visual character.

The surrounding public realm, designed by landscape architects Ireland Albrecht, has been carefully reimagined to complement the building and enhance the wider neighbourhood. A softer, greener approach has created a welcoming multifunctional square with planting, seating, and space for community events and activities – encouraging social interaction and shared experiences.

Shaped through a collaborative co-design process, the Community Centre reflects a shared vision between residents, stakeholders, and clients. A finalist in the Community Engagement category at the Pineapple Awards 2025, the extensive engagement process included:

• 41 community engagement events reaching over 1,100 local people – around 1 in 12 Leys residents
•  A communications campaign that reached over 10,000 people
• Over 3,000 comments and design suggestions gathered
• Young people and children accounted for over 20 percent of attendees
• Workshops, surveys, targeted events, and a year-long Community Review Panel that shaped the brief and design.

With social value at its core, the Community Centre has been co-designed to be a place to come together, a place that feels like it belongs to the people who use it, and a space that supports opportunity, connection and pride in the Leys.

Sophie Thomas-Lacroix, Associate at JTP comments, “The team have been on a tremendous journey with the Blackbird Leys community, and it is fantastic to receive unanimous approval for the final piece of the jigsaw. The extensive community engagement process has been fundamental in guiding these proposals and the new Community Centre is the embodiment of meaningful conversations and co-design with the people of Blackbird Leys. It reflects their aspirations and identity, offering a space that is not only functional but deeply connected to the community it serves. We look forward to seeing their vision come to life!”

To read more about this major milestone in the regeneration of Blackbird Leys please visit Peabody’s website by following this link.