Ruislip & Eastcote & Northwood Gazette
Push for historic hall
TWO men are heading to court in a bid to stop Ealing Town Hall being turned into a luxury hotel.
Tony Miller, 87, is one of the men taking Ealing Council to court, who will have to defend their decision to sell off the building which the council say has become ‘too expensive to run’. After years of objection to the council’s plans, the pair have opened the tribunal to ‘save an important community space’.
Tony, along with his friend and cocampaigner, Will French, objected to the development on the grounds that 20 per cent of the hall is publicly owned. Victoria Hall, which makes up a fifth of the building, is owned by the people of Ealing, after it was built by public subscription in 1893. In March 2021, the charity commission, which ran the hall on behalf of Ealing residents, agreed to let the council take over the space.
Tony and William’s aim in court is to ensure Victoria Hall remains a publicly owned space which can be used for ‘community events and an exhibition venue’.
Tony told MyLondon: “After investigation we found that the council doesn’t own Victoria Hall and instead it’s run by a Victoria Hall Trust on behalf of Ealing’s residents. We are part of a group who has rejected the commissions’ choice to side with the council and sell the space. It is not what we, the public, want. The council have ignored local people’s objections since they made their decision in 2016.
“If the council had done its homework at the start it would have discovered it didn’t own the Victoria Hall and might have come up with a better idea for it, such as running it properly as a performance, meetings and exhibition venue.”
In July 2016 Ealing Council signed an agreement with a developer to sell off the Town Hall buildings on a 250-year lease to turn it into a luxury hotel. It claimed local government funding cuts meant it could no longer afford to maintain and repair the building.
The decision had been blocked until March 2021, when, in the face of fierce local opposition, the Charity Commission agreed to let Ealing Council take over the property.
The legal challenge was launched in April 2021 on behalf of the FoVH, which has raised more than £70,000 to pay for legal advice. This cash has now run out after the legal bill reached £80,000. FoVH are now left without cash to back them through the legal process. Despite this, they are determined to carry on. Will French, one of the two appellants against the commission’s decision, added to Tony’s objections.
He said: “The Victoria Hall is the only large venue in the Borough that’s easily accessible from Acton, Ealing, Greenford, Hanwell, Northolt, Perivale and Southall. The idea of losing it to a boutique hotel is outrageous.”
In response to the upcoming tribunal the Leader of Ealing Council, Peter Mason, said: “The council’s proposals for Ealing Town Hall were drawn up following a long public consultation process, and the developer partner was selected via a public procurement process that had at its heart a brief that sought to secure the Town Hall for future generations, in a range of uses appropriate for the 21st century.
“The arrangement ensures that
Ealing Council retains the freehold ownership of the town hall and community use of the key parts of the building will continue. Council meetings, weddings and citizenship ceremonies will also continue. Part of the Town Hall is owned by the council in its capacity as trustee, and a separate committee – including three completely independent members – takes all decisions on the part of the Trust. Meetings of that committee take place in public wherever possible and local residents regularly take the opportunity to participate in those meetings.
“Several proposals for alternative uses of the Town Hall were put forward by local resident groups and considered in detail by the council. None were found to be viable propositions that would secure the building for the enjoyment of the community in the long term.
“The current tribunal proceedings were brought by two local residents against the decision of the Charity Commission to approve the regeneration proposals that will secure the future of this iconic building.”
The court hearing will take place online and is open to the public. To show the strength of feeling in the Borough, Friends of Victoria Hall wants as many people as possible to apply for access to the proceedings. The last opportunity to do this is on September 16, a week before the Tribunal starts.
To apply to view the court proceedings, email grc@justice.gov.uk before September 19, 2022, providing a name, address and the reason why you wish to watch the hearings.