A winner has been announced in the Dragons' Den-style challenge to find the best business idea to operate the Great Hall of the former Leyton Municipal Offices. The winning entry combines a proposal for an exciting new restaurant, plus use of the Great Hall for functions such as weddings, receptions, corporate functions and other social events.

The prize is the equivalent of a year’s free rent on a ten-year lease of the Great Hall. The building, which also includes the 28-unit Legacy E10 Business Centre, has recently undergone a multi-million pound refurbishment by partners, Lee Valley Estates and Hiltongrove Business Space. All works were carried in consultation with Guy Osborne, conservation officer for the London Borough of Waltham Forest (LBWF).

The partners wanted to find a use for the stunning space of the Great Hall that would benefit the local community, while being a successful and commercially viable business.

A ten-year search for the perfect banqueting suite led Horukul Islam and Salim Rahman to submit their last-minute entry. “We heard about the competition only a week before the first deadline,” says Horukul. With Salim, he visited the premises and they realised that in addition to finding the banqueting suite of their dreams, they could also operate a 160 to 200-seater restaurant plus a coffee shop. “We were certain about the space matching our ideas but had to get a very sound business plan together in such a short time - I didn’t see my kids for a week!”

In conjunction with the Waltham Forest Guardian and a panel of local judges, local business and community organisations were invited to put forward their ideas to operate the hall.

Chairman of Lee Valley Estates, Michael Polledri and Guy Davis, Chief Executive of Hiltongrove Business Space, were joined on the judging panel by Pat Stannard, Editor of the Waltham Forest Guardian, Councillor Clyde Loakes, Leader of Waltham Forest Council, Gary Ince, Chief Executive of North London Business, the area’s leading agency for economic development, and Gary Walker, Chairman of RSA Island Village Limited and Director of Lee Valley Estates.

The competition was stiff. Initial interest was extremely varied – both in terms of the proposals and their attributes. Four high quality business plans were submitted in the first round and two made it through to the final, where the judges quizzed the teams about their submissions.

Horukul’s background is in IT and financial sales, while Salim is the former Executive Business Development Manager of Pride of Asia, a successful catering and banqueting business. “We want to create a very contemporary and spectacular lifestyle restaurant, serving healthy Indian food with a Mediterranean mix,” explains Horukul. “We’ll find a master Indian chef to create individual dishes – probably someone who is already working in a five-star hotel now. Being so close to Leyton underground station, there are a steady flow of commuters, so a stylish coffee shop with a juice bar and healthy food should do well too,” he adds. “Competition is tough, so we’ve got to create different revenue streams, be constantly innovative and remain focused on delivering high quality food and service to meet our customers expectations. The restaurant is going to be The Venue for a great night of dining.” Guy Davis of Hiltongrove said, “We were really interested in several of the ideas put forward but Horukul and Salim clearly had the edge. They looked at the opportunities to create a business with differing income streams that will genuinely enhance the facilities for the local community.”

Michael Polledri, Chairman of Lee Valley Estates, said “They worked hard to demonstrate the different ways in which they will make use of this outstanding venue for the benefit of the community, as well as developing their own business. It’s just what we were looking for: imaginative proposals which also make sound commercial sense. We’d like to congratulate Horukul and Salim and wish them every success for the future.”

Clyde Loakes, Leader of the London Borough of Waltham Forest, said, "The Great Hall has been refurbished to a very high standard. It's a fantastic space and I'm delighted it will now be opened up to the local community again. I wish Horukul and Salim all the best in their new business venture."

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For further information, contact Siobhan Crozier on 07831 214352

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If you would like to use the attached photo, credit must be given to the copyright owner: Waltham Forest Guardian

From L to R: Cllr Clyde Loakes, Leader of the London Borough of Waltham Forest; Horukul Islam and Salim Rahman – winners of the Great Hall competition; Guy Davis, Chief Executive of Hiltongrove Business Space; Michael Polledri, Chairman of Lee Valley Estates; all standing in the Great Hall of the former Leyton Municipal Offices.

Notes for Editors

• Lee Valley Estates, in association with Hiltongrove Business Space, acquired the former Leyton Municipal Offices site, a Grade II listed building, in a £4 million transaction in November 2006.
• The premises are at the heart of a new development on the site of these former council offices on Leyton High Road, E10. Leyton underground station is only two minutes walk from the development.
• The whole scheme, entailing investment in the region of £10 million, creates a substantial mixed-use development, providing new residential, leisure and business space, and will be a major driver in the regeneration of Leyton. Cuurently, 25 of the 28 available units have been let, before any formal marketing was carried out. Seventy people are now employed at the Legacy E10 Business Centre.
• It will form part of the permanent legacy of the 2012 Olympics, which will regenerate the wider area of East London, providing new homes, facilities and employment. Lee Valley Estates is leading the development of the site.
• In line with the Mayor’s London Plan, the development will make use of the existing transport capacity, with excellent tube, bus and road transport links. The Leyton underground station is only two minutes walk from Leyton Municipal Offices.

About Lee Valley Estates

• Lee Valley Estates has been established since 1987 to promote economic development throughout the Lee Valley Corridor
• We have strong local roots and local commitment and we are based in the area in which we invest
• We currently provide almost 1,000,000 sq ft (93,000 sq m) of secure and affordable workspace
• Primarily a provider of workspace, we have helped thousand of SMEs to prosper and grow
• London’s changing development priorities mean that brownfield sites are being converted into mixed-use schemes, to serve the needs of communities
• Reflecting this trend, we are increasingly involved in large, mixed-use development schemes, providing homes and community facilities alongside workspace, to support sustainable regeneration
• Our interests focus in two main growth corridors: the Thames Gateway and the London-Stansted-Cambridge corridor

About Hiltongrove Business Space

• Hiltongrove Business Space is a group of companies established in 1994 offering managed workspace in the North East London area
• Our flagship business centre in Walthamstow E17 has helped create over 120 new jobs in the last five years and has played a significant part in the regeneration of the surrounding area