Hornsey Town Hall Creative Trust is dismayed by the news that the Mountview project will not be going forward. This is after almost four years of hard work by Mountview, the London Borough of Haringey (LBH) and the Trust. The Trust supported Mountview’s vision for the Town Hall from the outset and long advocated that LBH should work with them to explore every possible funding option, from both the private and public sector.
We are very frustrated that this situation could mean more delay to the project, more use of scarce resources and further deterioration to the building. The Trust remains committed to finding a long-term, sustainable solution for Hornsey Town Hall but acknowledges the challenges around funding for this Grade II* listed building particularly in the current climate of cuts in local services in Haringey. Today’s announcement amply demonstrates what a complex task this is, something we have all known for many years.
Mountview’s vision for community access and use of the Town Hall, alongside its work as a pre-eminent theatre school, was inspiring; we hope it will serve as a benchmark as we move forward. LBH has committed to community access and use at HTH in the future in all its public statements and one of our roles will be to ensure that happens.
We continue to work with the Council and have asked for a meeting with Nick Walkley, CEO of LBH, and senior LBH officers to discuss options. We are also taking part in regular meetings chaired by Cllr Alan Strickland exploring alternative options for the site. It is now time for a radical rethink in the approach to finding a long-term future for Hornsey Town Hall. We believe that the planning permission granted for the site in 2010 (which is still current and is acknowledged as a “good” plan) should be the baseline model from which to reshape the project, with community access at the heart of any scheme to re-open the historic core of the Town Hall.
We will also continue to participate in LBH’s renewed programme of community engagement planned for early March; please continue to visit this site for updates. You can get in touch with us at hornseytownhall@gmail.com
You can read more in Mountview’s statement here.