Save Soanes Campaign
Our beloved community centre is at-risk.
But we are fighting back!
What’s going on?
On Wednesday 3 July, Tower Hamlets Council issued an eviction notice to kids education charity Setpoint London East to empty and vacate the Soanes Centre, their home for the last thirty years, within seven days.
In just two days, with the support of grassroots cultural organisation Kin Structures and dozens of people across our communities, we mobilised all possible channels to stop the eviction.
On Monday 8 July, the Council withdrew the eviction notice.
How can I help?
Now, we need your support to persuade the Council to transfer the Soanes Centre to community ownership.
This can be done through a mechanism called the Community Asset Transfer.
What is a Community Asset Transfer?
Community Asset Transfer is a process which allows local authorities to transfer their assets, specifically land and buildings, to a community organisation, for either no or reduced cost. It is an alternative model of land ownership that ensures long-term provision for community space - once an asset is transferred this way, it must be used for public benefit. Community Asset Transfer is a way to protect beloved community spaces that bring people together which might otherwise fall into disrepair or be lost to for-profit privatisation.
How would a Community Asset Transfer for the Soanes Centre work?
Tower Hamlets Council need to start the process. They can transfer the ownership of the Soanes Centre to Setpoint London East, at either no or reduced cost. Once transferred, Setpoint would continue to manage the building and deliver community-led education to thousands of schoolchildren in Tower Hamlets and beyond.
Volunteer with us
We are looking for volunteers to help across the campaign!
Over the past couple of weeks, dozens of volunteers have been getting involved. With their support, we were able to design and launch a website, create a campaign identity and social media resources, source vital legal advice and find helpful contacts within the Council and wider Tower Hamlets civil and grassroots society.
Do you want to volunteer with us? Click below for more information and to sign up!
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Why this eviction notice now?
For over ten years, Setpoint London East have been attempting to negotiate a renewed lease with Tower Hamlets Council.
Setpoint London East recently wrote to the Council to discuss significant concerns on current arrangements and crucial unresolved issues that were impacting on our work.
Despite suggesting a meeting to discuss further the Council did not engage and we were instead issued with an eviction notice.
We believe we can come to an agreement whereby Soanes Centre remains a base for Setpoint London East and Kin Structures to continue the ecological, creative cultural projects we are committed to for the benefit of the local community.
Who is Setpoint London East, Soanes Centre and Kin Structures?
Since 1997, Soanes Centre has been the base of Setpoint London East. Setpoint London East is a small charity on a mission to support local school children to discover the world around them through practical, hands-on science workshops, using the natural resources of the Soanes Centre and its surrounding 33-acre woodland park. The charity’s work has been vital in providing local, largely black and brown school-children and their families, access to green space in a borough where the amount of publicly accessible open space remains some of the lowest in the capital and nationally.
Since 2023, grassroots cultural organisation Kin Structures have been working and supporting Setpoint London East in delivering free, community-led programmes of art, learning and play and protecting the at-risk space. Founded by artists Arman Nouri and Kwame Lowe, Kin Structures began in response to the declining numbers of cultural and community spaces, particularly community centres, across London.
