‘Destination of choice’: Hackney Central’s pull with visitors to get major boost as council secures £19m cash injection

Veronica Ryan’s Turner Prize-winning sculptures are a star attraction in Hackney Central. Photograph: Julia Gregory

Hackney’s appeal as a “destination of choice” for visitors will get a lift following a £19m cash injection, a senior politician has said.

Deputy Mayor Guy Nicholson, who has responsibility for regeneration, said the “levelling-up” money for Hackney Central will help pull in more residents and visitors from further afield.

He was quizzed this week by a scrutiny panel about the funding bid and revealed that businesses were “very much a part of the process”.

“Hopefully it will take Hackney Central’s economy up a step because it is becoming a destination of choice,” Cllr Nicholson told the skills, economy and growth scrutiny commission.

Town centre attractions include the Hackney Empire and the Turner Prize-winning sculpture, Custard Apples, Breadfruit and Soursop, by Veronica Ryan.

People also climb the medieval St Augustine’s tower and look around the National Trust-owned Sutton House.

The Burberry outlet store is a draw for fashionistas.

A 2017 report by London First estimated that international tourism provided £94m to the economy through people attracted by Hackney’s arts and culture.

There are also aspirations to develop a healthy eating and lifestyle in Hackney Central, Nicholson said.

The government cash will be used to create new green space, introduce trees and seating along Amhurst Road, redesign Pembury Circus junction, and build a creative workspace.

The money will also be spent on bolstering digital inclusion at Hackney Central library and giving the Town Hall square a facelift.

The Windrush statue Warm Shores by Thomas J Price was unveiled in the square last summer.

Hackney Council spent £4m on a decade-long renovation of the listed 1930s Town Hall, which is sometimes used as a film set.

Last year, Transport for London opened a new £3m entrance to Hackney Central Overground station – partly funded by the Department for Transport.

Stephen Haynes, the council’s strategic director for an inclusive economy, corporate policy and new homes, said the upcoming work will improve resilience in the town centre and bring empty shops back into use.

The council is looking at how to support a circular economy, where materials are reused, repaired and recycled.

The scrutiny committee asked for more details about the council’s local procurement to help employment in Hackney.