The History of the Bays

Initially, bays 17-19 was home to the Notting Dale Training Centre. The aim of this centre was to supplement Kensington and Chelsea vocational services for the borough and provide service users with professional development facilities. A variety of vocational pathways were on offer, such as courses in childcare and education, business administration and catering.

 

In early 2015, following the closure of the training centre, the bays became home to Kindred studios, an arts collective dedicated to growing and supporting a community of artists through participation, creative mentorship and events. RBKC prioritised Adult Services for the community and Kindred Studios were asked to leave, relocating and expanding in Queens Park. 

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Shortly after the Grenfell Tower fire, the young residents in and amongst the surrounding area, came together to create a space that they could call their own, Latimer City. Located in the bays, Latimer City became a place where young community members could express themselves creatively and support one another. Unfortunately, Latimer City was unable to continue its occupancy of the space and this led to the setting up of the Maxilla Advisory Group (MAG), who were tasked to discuss the future of the bays. 

 

Prior to the Grenfell Tower fire, RBKC had allocated a portion of the space to Adult Social Care and so MAG meetings centered around how the space could be transformed with Adult Social Care services in mind. On the sixth and final MAG meeting, it was agreed that a smaller group would be recruited to move forward with these discussions, with the support of a project manager. This meeting marked the beginning stages of Maxilla City.