Glendale,which maintains and manages lewisham’s parks and green spaces, has now issued tender documents to parties that have expressed an interest in running the Ladywell Fields cafe.
Bidders face a tight deadline. All submissions have to be with Glendale by January 21 2026.
The process is entirely run and managed by Glendale but the Ladywell Fields User Group carried out a quick survey of park users to ensure their views and priorities are properly reflected in the tendering process.
The LFUG survey gathered 210 responses with the main priorities being:
Clean toilets 197
Good fresh coffee 176
Reliable opening hours 137
Friendly staff 133
Fresh cakes & pastries 128
Covered seating 122
Ice creams & lollies 112
Healthy/veg/vegan options 111
Hot meals/snacks 88
Local employment opportunities 85
Two thirds of respondents indicated that, if a café that better met theirneeds, they would use it two or more times per week. Additional suggestions from park users included:
● More competitively priced coffee compared with outlets in Ladywell Village
● A warm, comfortable place to sit, with a lighter, brighter and more inviting interior, and increased covered seating outdoors
● Interesting, good-quality food, including bread and pastries from established, high-quality bakeries
● Consistently clean toilets and handwashing facilities
● A more distinctive “destination café”, similar to the offer at Crystal Palace Park
● Reliable opening hours, potentially opening from 8.00am at weekends and later into the evening during the summer months
● More modern, healthy and diverse food options
● Opportunities for local enterprises and community groups to come together in the space
● Collaboration with local artists and musicians
● Facilities such as a library and/or toy swap service
The Glendale tender documents show the submissions will be judged on the basis technical ability, operational competence, health and safety and social value.
Glendales says applicants must demonstrate how the cafe will deliver clear and measurable social value for the local community alongside a high quality cafe offer.
Proposals should explain how social value will be embedded into day-to-day operations.
Examples of social value include: employment & skills; community engagement; health & wellbeing; local economy & sustainability; access & inclusion
The Glendale tender documents can be found here.