Council Reject Community Proposals For Ealing Town Hall
But legal issues mean more delays to plans to turn it into boutique hotel
Ealing Council has rejected proposals from two community groups that would prevent part of Ealing Town Hall being turned into a hotel.
At a meeting this week (15 January) the Council’s General Purposes Committee rejected plans from Ealing Voice (EV) and the Campaign for an Ealing Performance & Arts Centre (CEPAC) that the Town Hall should be given over to community use rather than be sold off to developer Mastcraft on a 245-year lease.
It also emerged at the meeting that the boutique hotel plan, agreed more than two years ago still cannot proceed because of legal challenges raised by the groups.
The Council’s original plan for the Town Hall, announced in July 2016, was derailed following EV’s discovery that the Victoria Hall, built in 1893 with public donations is governed by a Trust Deed intended to ensure that what was paid for by the public continues to be enjoyed by the public and to prevent the sale of the building.
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The Mastcraft scheme cannot proceed unless the Charity Commission agrees that the Council can both change the ‘objects’ of the Victoria Hall Trust and dispose of property belonging to the Trust.
Ealing Voice had submitted a proposal for the whole of the Town Hall to be reconfigured to create facilities that would include a concert hall, events space, professional recording studio, co-working space, and a members’ bar.
CEPAC’s scheme was for the western section of the Town Hall building known as the Victoria Hall to be turned into a performing arts and exhibition space.
At last night's meeting, CEPAC secretary Tony Miller called for the establishment a group of representatives of the community to examine alternative solutions to the problem of how best to fulfil and protect the intentions of the original donors of the property.
This proposal was also turned down by the Committee.
He commented afterwards: “Councillors refused tonight to reconsider the decision to sell charity assets which they hold as Trustees, in clear breach of the intention of those who originally donated them.
"They remain determined to privatise the Victoria Hall Trust by selling it to a commercial company, even though we have put forward alternative plans to protect the community interest at no cost to the Council.
"We very much regret that they have refused our offer of talks to look for a solution which would protect the charity, and we very much hope the Charity Commission will reject their plan out of hand.”
An Ealing Council spokesperson, said, "Two proposals have been received from Campaign for Ealing Performance & Arts Centre (CEPAC) and Ealing Voice as part of the ACV process which are being considered by the council. The proposals were considered by the General Purposes Committee on 15th January which concluded that, subject to consent from the Charity Commission, the council (as trustee of part of the Town Hall) should proceed with Mastcraft. A report will now be considered by cabinet on Tuesday, 12 February.''
January 16 2019