Choices for Grahame Park (part of Genesis Housing Group) and Barnet Council today celebrated the opening of the Greentop Centre, a stunning new activities hub and play area for children on Lanacre Avenue in Barnet.

Four children - Hilary, Jessica, Reha and Jasmine - read out poems written by local children about the place in front of The Worshipful, the Mayor of Barnet, Councillor John Marshall and Andrew Dismore MP. The Mayor, assisted by the children, drew back long gold-tinselled curtains to unveil a plaque commemorating the opening of the Centre.

It is hoped that the Centre, built for the Council's Children's Service, will become a multi-purpose space for the community to enjoy - it is already providing after-school clubs and holiday activities for children.

The Greentop Centre, constructed by Countryside Properties Ltd, is set in the Grahame Park Open Space, adjoining the 1,777-home estate. Built at a cost of £1m, it has a green roof, planted with sedum to encourage biodiversity and rainwater run-off.

The 197m2 Centre consists of a large multi-functional room as well as a staff office, sizeable kitchen, WCs and storage. Glazed doorways open onto 1,690m2 of external space, which includes play facilities in the form of a floodlit ballgames area, adventure playground equipment and imaginative play surfaces and structures. The Centre is a delightful, light and airy place for children and families.

The Greentop Centre replaces the old Log Cabin, a prefabricated structure within wooden palisades. Many local people have fond memories of children's activities run at the Log Cabin, but the building is now obsolete and unused. Staff responsible for the Log Cabin were part of the Project Team that designed the new Greentop Centre, bringing in the children's views at the key stages.

60 guests joined in the celebration, including, councillors, Council officers, parents, children, local residents, representatives from local schools and voluntary organisations, staff from Choices for Grahame Park and Genesis Housing Group, the contractor Countryside Properties, the architects Pollard Thomas Edwards, and other consultants.

Cllr Fiona Bulmer, Barnet Cabinet Member for Children's Services said "We are delighted that the new Centre is open and providing a great venue for a range of different activities for young people. I'm particularly pleased that voluntary organisations are going to be using the Centre, further strengthening the partnership between the council and Barnet's vibrant voluntary sector."

Anne Dufton, Chief Executive for Grahame Park, said "Successful communities work best when homes and community facilities are built together. We are delighted that, as well as building better homes for local families, we are helping their children to benefit from the excellent services that will be provided at the Greentop Centre."

Photo caption (l-r): Anne Dufton, Hilary Graham, Jessica Afrifa, Reha Barnett, Jasmine Nampeewo and The Worshipful, the Mayor of Barnet

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For further information about Genesis or Choices for Grahame Park, contact Diana Evans on 020 7563 0028 / email diana.evans@ghg.org.uk

For further information about Barnet Council, contact Bill Campbell on 020 8359 2341 / email bill.campbell@barnet.gov.uk

For further information about Countryside Properties contact Liz Ball on 01277 690587 / email liz.ball@cpplc.com

For further information about Pollard Thomas Edwards Architects, contact Diana Handley on 020 7336 7777 / email diana.handley@ptea.co.uk

Notes to Editors

Genesis Housing Group provides homes and services to tens of thousands of people across London and the south east. The Group consists of PCHA, Pathmeads and Springboard housing associations. It also has a charitable foundation, Genesis Community, and is one of the largest and most diverse housing groups in the UK. Genesis Housing Group owns and/or manages more than 38,000 homes across London and the south east. Its overiding aim is to put customers first and provide excellent service to all.

Choices for Grahame Park (CfGP) is part of Genesis Housing Group. It works in partnership with Barnet Council to deliver the regeneration of Grahame Park, which is one of Barnet's five strategic regeneration programmes.

The Greentop Centre has been built by CfGP for Barnet Council.

Barnet Council's Children's Service says the Greentop Centre has a great potential to make a real difference to the local community. The intention is that it will work in partnership with the local schools, Wingfield Children's Centre and Barnet College, by giving them access to additional space to run activities for the local community, for example, Parent & Toddler Group, Family Learning, Parent Support, Parentline, and Transition Workshops for year 6/7. It will also enable the schools to signpost families to a host of activities. It is hoped that schools may use it for small group work, including children who are at risk of exclusion or who are disengaged.

The Children's Service is providing an after school club for primary school pupils aged five to eleven years old during term-time from 3.30-6pm, and also provides holiday play schemes from 9am-4pm during all school holidays except Christmas.

The Centre has been inspected by an Ofsted Inspector who was very impressed with the facilities, and the building will be registered to accommodate 47 children age between five and eight years old at any one time.

The regeneration of Grahame Park will take about 18 years and will cost some £800m. It is one of the largest regeneration schemes in the country. It will involve the demolition of 1,314 homes and the building of 3,000 new ones, plus a new library, health centre, community centre, public square, shops, parks and play areas. The new homes will be a mix of rent, shared ownership and outright sale. The existing Council-secure tenants will be offered re-housing in the new rented homes, which will be owned by PCHA, also part of Genesis Housing Group.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION

The Greentop Centre
197sqm internal area with 1,690m2 external space
Construction period: May-December 2008
Architect: Pollard Thomas Edwards Architects with landscape design by Levitt Bernstein Associates
Contractor: Countryside Properties (in Partnership) Ltd
Quantity Surveyors: Gardiner & Theobald
Structural Engineers: Brand Leonard
Mechanical & Electrical Engineers: AWA Building Services Consultants