Luton Borough Council announced on 3 February 2026 a £3.7 million plan to modernise two community buildings in Luton, Bedfordshire. The programme will upgrade Lewsey and Bury Park community centres to provide more flexible, accessible spaces for local residents.
Lewsey Community Centre, on Landrace Road, will be partially closed from 15 February 2026 while works take place. Planned changes include relocating the main entrance (from Landrace Road to a new entrance on Tomlinson Avenue), the creation of three new community spaces (reported by some outlets as classrooms), and a fully refurbished kitchen, along with accessibility and energy-efficiency improvements.
Bury Park Community Centre, on Dunstable Road, will undergo a full ground-floor redesign to create new meeting facilities and a new fully fitted commercial kitchen. Luton Council says Bury Park will close fully in the summer for the works and is expected to reopen around nine months later.
The project is funded through the council’s Capital Programme and forms part of the Luton 2040 strategy to improve health and wellbeing across the town. While local reporting has highlighted rising council borrowing in recent years, council leaders say that borrowing supports long-term investment in town infrastructure. The council has published regulated procurement notices on the UK Government’s Find a Tender service (for example, Tender AT1398 for Lewsey) to select principal contractors for the works; the tender notices themselves do not constitute an award of contract.
Luton Council says Lewsey’s works are scheduled for completion in late summer or early autumn 2026; Bury Park’s timetable differs because of its planned full summer closure and the approximate nine‑month reopening window. During construction the council intends to keep as many services running as possible, with groups temporarily relocated where necessary and library services maintained at alternative sites where required.
Cllr Hazel Simmons MBE, Leader of Luton Council, said: “Our community centres are more important than ever, and this investment reflects their vital role in bringing people together in their communities and neighbourhoods across Luton. These improvements will ensure they are welcoming, accessible and fit for the future, contributing to our 2040 goals while strengthening connections between residents, community organisations and council services.”
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