A local Catford social club that was facing permanent closure has been awarded £1.65 million from the Mayor of London. 

Catford Constitutional Club was closed down in August 2019 after the building it was in was deemed structurally unsafe. 

The Mayor of London’s Good Growth Fund is a £70 million regeneration programme which supports growth and community development in London.

Cllr Joe Dromey, Lewisham Council Cabinet Lead for Employment and Skills said: “The regeneration of Catford offers huge opportunities for our local community. It will mean more good quality jobs and more of the social housing that we need.

This funding…will help bring a historic pub and community asset back into action and provide high-quality affordable workspace for local small businesses. It’s great news for Catford and great news for Lewisham.”

The site, which was used as a pub and a community venue, and the surrounding area is owned by Lewisham council. Under new proposals, the site will be restored and connected to a new public space, Thomas’ Lane Yard.

The money it was awarded came from the Mayor of London’s Good Growth Fund- a £70 million regeneration programme which supports growth and community development in London.

Damien Egan, Mayor of Lewisham, said: “Lewisham is creative, forward-thinking and we’re proud to have so many small independent businesses. Thanks to the Mayor of London, we can now restore the building, bringing back the pub and including community space.”

The regeneration will create new employment opportunities as it will include facilities for market traders and workspace offered at reduced market rent to small and medium-sized enterprises.

The aim of the Good Growth Fund is to put local communities at the heart of regeneration. It will enable Londoners to participate in their community and say how specific projects are shaped. 

Jules Pipe, Deputy Mayor for Planning, Regeneration and Skills, said “The Mayor and I are committed to doing all we can to support projects which create opportunities to regenerate their local areas. This is a great example of how Londoners can take a lead in shaping the future of the capital.”

The next step will be to develop the proposal with local residents and partners at a series of community engagement events.