Tower Hamlets: Community launderette reopens after petition

The launderette was set up by volunteers in 1992 as a way to combat mould and damp issues in their flats

A community launderette that suddenly closed has reopened after "shocked" staff and volunteers launched a petition.

Tower Hamlets Council closed the Boundary Estate Community Launderette in Shoreditch, east London, in February.

Jean Locker, voluntary director at the launderette, previously said there was no warning before locks were changed.

The council said a temporary solution had been found to reopen the facility.

Tower Hamlets' mayor Lufthur Rahman posted on X that the authority was working on a longer-term solution "to ensure this valuable community asset can stay open".

Jonathan Moberly, vice chair of the Boundary Tenants Association, which ran the petition and campaign to reopen the not-for-profit service, told BBC Radio London the temporary lease was valid until 18 June - buying them some time to finalise something more permanent.

He said he was "hopeful" that a longer-term agreement could be made.

Boundary Estate Community Launderette is a not-for-profit service in Shoreditch

Mr Moberley said their campaign had called for the premises to be treated as a community asset rather than a commercial one.

He said the association would ask the council to recalculate the rent according to its "worth to the community" at a meeting due to take place next week.

"The main issue here is that we can't be discussing this within the framework of commercial rent levels," he said.

"We're in Shoreditch, high street rent levels here are astronomical - there's no way a launderette could ever exist under that framework, so we have to agree a framework first in order to actually evaluate what's sensible for the launderette."

Tenancy at will

The council had issued the launderette with a section 25 notice in July, which gave a six-month warning to end the previous lease.

The service has been running since 1992, when it was set up by volunteers as a way to combat mould and damp issues in their flats.

The launderette said the council had asked for an annual rent of £12,500, with a year's rent in advance, which was £10,000 more than the original rent of £2,000.

Ms Lockyer said there had been "no follow up, no reminder, no visit" since the notice last year and the group was "shocked" to have been locked out of the building.

A Tower Hamlets Council spokesperson said the authority was "pleased" to have issued a tenancy at will for the launderette.

The spokesperson said that type of tenancy was a temporary arrangement and the "fastest option" to allow the launderette to reopen while a longer-term arrangement was agreed.

"We will be meeting with tenants in the next few weeks to discuss the steps that need to be taken for us to put longer-term arrangements in place," the spokesperson added.

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