2324-0019 Highbury Fields Café Improvements

Highbury Fields, N5 is the borough’s largest greenspace, attracting an average of 2,000 visitors each day to the play area alone. It is also home to various sports facilities including four netball courts and 11 tennis courts. This scheme seeks to improve the north-east corner of the Fields by demolishing the existing café kiosk, bandstand building, derelict former park-keeper’s bungalow and removing various ancillary buildings. The cumulative footprint will be used to create a new high-quality building that provides a café, public toilets and park-keeper facilities. Planning permission was granted in July 2023. The planning reference for the project is P2023/1388/FUL and can be viewed at Islington’s planning portal via View or comment on a planning application | Islington Council The requirement Islington Council is seeking a principal contractor for the construction of a new café in Highbury Fields and associated amenities such as public toilets and a Changing Places toilet, the demolition of the existing café, demolition of existing bandstand and demolition of the derelict park keeper's bungalow with reinstatement, under a traditional JCT contract with contractor design portions. The contractor design portions are potentially mechanical, electrical and plumping (MEP) and screw piles foundation. The bandstand building is within a fenced area that is used by Islington’s Bright Start services which is a children’s playground area for ages up to five years old. Consequently, the demolition of the bandstand building will need to be carefully discussed with Islington and the design team to avoid disturbance during the peak summer months and peak use by the community. As a result, it would be preferred if the building was demolished within the winter months. It will be necessary for the appointed contractor to aid the design team in complying with existing planning conditions and to provide the necessary information to enable compliance with further Planning and Building Control conditions as set by the planning approval, to ensure there are no delays in the construction programme. Short-term negative impacts, such as disruption to residents and park users, will be mitigated via a Construction Management Plan and Construction Logistics Plan, provided by the tenderer, and signed off prior to work starting on site as per the planning condition. Tenderers’ approach to Social Value will be assessed as part of the contract via a specific Social Value question within the method statement questions, weighted at 20%. Please note that the Bill of Quantities provided in the tender pack is in draft and not to be completed at SQ stage and a finalised version will be issued at second stage of tender. Additional information: The contract period will be for eight months from an estimated start date of October 2024 with option to extend up to a further two months. Also included will be a 12-month defect and liability period.