Three HTHCT trustees (Graeme Jennings, Sheila Kavanagh and Liz Sich) met with Cllr Claire Kober, Leader of Haringey Council, Cllr Jason Arthur, Cabinet Member for Resources and Culture and Crouch End Ward Councillor, and Haringey CEO, Nick Walkley on Tuesday 24 February to discuss the future of the Hornsey Town Hall project. A fourth trustee, Benjy Lesser, dialled into the meeting.
Cllr Kober and Nick Walkley restated Haringey’s commitment to finding a long term and sustainable future for Hornsey Town Hall. They also stated that Haringey’s aspirations for the project matched those of the Trust’s and agreed that that the Town Hall is, in Cllr Arthur’s words, “a totemic building” and has the potential to make a significant contribution to the social, cultural and economic life of the whole borough.
They were able to reassure the Trust on a number of key issues:
· That Hornsey Town Hall will be fully refurbished as part of the overall development of the site using proceeds from the enabling development
· That the Town Hall Square will be integrated into the scheme
· That community access to and use of the historic parts of Hornsey Town Hall are protected no matter which option is pursued
· That a senior council officer will be the strategic lead for the project in the future
· That communication about the progress of the project will be improved
· LBH is working on the procurement process and timelines. As part of the process, LBH will ensure that there will be opportunities for the community to meet with potential bidders