Covent Garden Dragon Hall Trust (CGDHT) was set up by Covent Garden Community Association (CGCA), with support from LB Camden, to provide an independent (but connected) Charitable Company to manage and develop the new community resource, known as Dragon Hall, leased from LB Camden for an initial period of 25 years.

LB Camden therefore made available, in early 2003, a small development grant, via the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund (NRF), to CGDHT to commission relevant independent consultants to work with them, and the wider community, to develop a realistic and sustainable plan for the use of Dragon Hall. In particular, although not exclusively, a focus for this work was to develop a programme of activities aimed at promoting social inclusion and tackling anti-social behaviour, amongst young people in the locality. Results of this consultation are below.

Community Consultation

Wide-ranging consultations with local residents and community organisations took place during the development period. It became evident through the meetings that:

• Local residents welcomed the availability of a community resource of this type – and were prepared to assist in its ongoing development and management.
• A number of existing community organisations needed this type of resource both to provide them with a central base and from where they could deliver services.
• Local schools and theatre groups were anxious to make use of the facilities.
• The combination of its location and the facilities available help to provide a single focus for community based activities enabling partnership activity and the joint development and delivery of services.

The two main issues presented by local residents were concerns about the prevalence and problems arising from drug use in the area and a lack of facilities for local young people. The community organisations were anxious to be able to make use of the facilities both as a resource for delivering services and as a means of helping them develop their own physical and administrative capacity to develop, deliver and sustain activities.

It also appeared to be the case that some Covent Garden residents, for example some older people and ethnic minority groups were not currently engaged in community activity. Bengali women were mentioned particularly.

It became evident during discussions that there was considerable scope at the very least for a more efficient sharing of resources and to jointly take a more strategic overview of the needs of the area – avoiding overlaps and duplication and addressing clear gaps in provision.