Residents are being asked to help shape a proposal to bring Leytonstone Family Hub services into Leyton Library, creating a shared neighbourhood space while keeping the library open. The move is still under consideration: the consultation is intended to inform the design and decision, and no relocation has been approved.
The proposal would move the Family Hub from The Junction in Leytonstone to the library in Leyton. Waltham Forest Council says the building would continue to offer books, reading and study space, computers and activities, alongside family support and other community services. Existing Family Hub services are to continue while residents give their views.
What might change at the library
Early ideas include a larger shared children’s library and Family Hub welcome area, flexible rooms for community groups, and private rooms for conversations or clinical appointments. The council has also suggested buggy storage and more accessible toilets. These are possibilities rather than a settled design: the layout remains subject to consultation, feasibility work, cost and accessibility checks. The council has not promised that every feature will be delivered.
The proposal is part of a wider plan to bring services together in neighbourhood spaces, so people may be able to find support and take part in local activities in one place. The council says there may be scope for more convenient or longer opening hours than the library’s current five-day week, but that would depend on staffing and practical arrangements. The consultation also asks how the hub should connect with activities at other local venues.
Combining services could make it easier for some families to use library and support services during the same visit. But the change could lengthen journeys for people who currently use the Leytonstone Family Hub. The council has also identified accessibility, privacy and continuity of existing activities as concerns residents may want addressed. Those questions matter because a shared building only works if its layout and service arrangements meet the needs of the people expected to use it.
Residents can influence the proposal
The questionnaire is open to anyone, not only current users of either building. The council particularly wants to hear from families, local residents, community groups, staff and service providers. Responses can address the proposed move, how the facilities should work, possible effects and ways to mitigate concerns. Paper copies are available at Leyton Library and The Junction, and the consultation page lists four drop-in sessions at those venues in November.
The consultation closes at midnight on Monday 30 November. An independent organisation is to analyse questionnaire responses and feedback from other activities and prepare a report. The council says Cabinet is expected to consider the findings and detailed arrangements next year, alongside potential effects on different groups, feasibility, costs and other evidence. Any later decision would follow that consideration; the consultation itself is not an approval to move the service.
There is a related but separate question about The Junction. Subject to consultation outcomes and further agreement, the building could be used to expand post-16 learning for young people and older learners in the south of the borough, supporting routes into education, employment and training. That possible future use has not been finalised either.
For residents, the practical choice now is whether to tell the council what would make the proposed hub accessible and useful, and what risks need addressing before any decision. People do not need to use the library or Family Hub already to respond. If the relocation proceeds, the council says it will provide users and staff with information about timing and any temporary service changes.
