Author: Sarah Wiseman

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

A public meeting and exhibition to showcase the future of Hornsey Town Hall will be held on Monday 16 March from 6.30pm. The presentation, followed by questions, will begin at 7.30pm. The event, to be held in the Town Hall, will be a chance for local residents and other interested people to hear more about what has happened with the Hornsey Town Hall project so far, and what’s next in securing a sustainable future for this much-loved landmark.

It follows the announcement in January that plans for Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts to make the venue its long-term home will no longer be going ahead.

Representatives from Haringey Council, the Hornsey Town Hall Creative Trust and GVA consultancy – who have led an options appraisal exercise on future use of the building – will be on hand to explain progress and answer questions.

Following the event, an exhibition charting the project so far and options for the Town Hall will remain on display at Hornsey Library, Haringey Park, until 23 March 2015.

Cllr Alan Strickland, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Housing, said:

“We know that Hornsey Town Hall is close to the hearts of thousands of local people, and that there remains a huge desire to see this fantastic building restored and brought back into use.

“This event and exhibition offer a chance to find out about the project so far and learn how we can ensure a lasting future for Hornsey Town Hall.”

We’ve received this update from The Arts Centre at Hornsey Town Hall. www.hthartscentre.co.uk

Since we started the Hornsey Town Hall Arts Centre it was our intention to open up as many spaces and rooms, with the advice of Haringey and their Conservation team, and create a creative community within HTH.

During December, we had 1711 people through the doors and the three of us tried to meet as many people as possible.

The support and demand for space from locals has been nothing short of staggering and we could have filled all the spaces three times over over.

From those “meet and greets” we have filled the creative workspaces we currently have available.

We still have some hot desk space available in the west wing as we can see that the Library is struggling to fill the demand each day so we want to offer the people they turn away somewhere to come.

We are happy that HTH Creatives is made up from locals with creative skills that include Fine Artists, Sculptors, Graphic Designers, Furniture Designers, Theatre Producers, Jewellery Makers, Architects, Singing Teachers, Film Makers, Photographers, Comedy Writers, Acting Coaches, Cancer rehabilitation, Animators, Web Designers, Textile designers, Milliners, Leather makers, Food Stylists, Holistic therapists, Jewellers, Performance poets, Toy Designers, Product Desingers, PR Specialists, Classical musicians, Event Producers, Dance Teachers, and we hope to be showcasing the work they make over the coming months.

The Second phase is all about the community. We want to now reach out to the Local community and beyond finding ways to use these spaces. Dance Studios, Music Spaces, A Gallery, Meeting Rooms, The Supper Room, The Committee Rooms, The Chambers, The Studio Theatres and in time The Main Hall.

We have already had contact with many local creative groups including The Crouch End Festival, Crouch End Project, Crouch End Open Studios and we have many more people to meet. Collaboration with the Arthouse, Downstairs at the Kings Head and other local businesses are also coming to fruition.

is meeting has been confirmed for Tuesday 24 February 2015. Items on HTHCT’s agenda are:

• LBH’s current objectives for the Town Hall project
• Community and HTHCT aspirations for the project
• Project finance and LBH’s financial contribution to the Town Hall refurbishment
• Status of the options following the conclusion of the Options Appraisal
• Strategic approach to the project within LBH

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.

If you are interested in hiring Hornsey Town Hall or putting on events in the Town Hall Square, you can find full details on hire costs and criteria can be found at: www.haringey.gov.uk/hth

Anyone interested in applying to stage an event should email hornseytownhall@haringey.gov.uk including the following information:

· Requested date(s) of their event

· A brief outline of the event, including how it will benefit the Town Hall and the community

· Whether the event will be free to the public or a ticketed event

· Which areas of the building and/or Town Hall Square the event will use

· Full contact details for the organiser

HTHCT continues to support the Mountview Project at Hornsey Town Hall and reiterated its support at the Gateway Review in December 2013 and during the subsequent Options Appraisal, undertaken by GVA (http://www.gva.co.uk/) on behalf of LBH. The Trust has responded formally to the Options Appraisal report, with copies of its response also sent to Cllr Claire Kober (Leader, LBH), Cllr Jason Arthur (Cabinet Member, Resources and Culture) and Nick Walkley (CEO, LBH).

The work on the Options Appraisal continues (October 2014). In addition to the Mountview proposals, LBH, with our input, is also looking at a range of mixed uses for Hornsey Town Hall. The good news is that LBH continues to support and has ringfenced the principle of community use and access for the historic parts of HTH (the foyers, committee rooms, Council Chamber, Assembly Hall, Mayor’s Parlour etc), no matter which option is selected.

Mountview is developing an impressive community, education and arts outreach programme to sit alongside its work as one of the leading theatre schools in the UK. As you will have read, there is a significant funding gap in the Mountview proposals and both LBH and Mountview are working hard together to find a solution to fill that gap.

In the meantime, it is also crucial that other options are explored to ensure a sustainable future for HTH which also fulfils community aspirations for this wonderful building. So, in addition to working with Mountview and LBH, the Trust is also playing an active role with LBH to develop these alternative proposals.

If you have anything you would like to contribute to the ongoing discussion, please get in touch with us at hornseytownhalltrust@gmail.com

Come and visit Hornsey Town Hall during Open House weekend! Tours running on Saturday 20 September from 10.30am until 3.00pm. Booking essential; email: hornseytownhalltrust@gmail.com

Hornsey Town Hall

The Broadway
Crouch End
London N8 9JJ

Hornsey Town Hall will be open for tours on Saturday 20 June. Booking essential.

We will be running tours from 10.30am; last tour at 3pm. Each tour will last around 30 minutes.

Tours start at 10.30am, 11.15am, 12noon, 12.45pm, 1.30pm, 2.15pm, 3pm and last about 30 minutes.

A chance to visit this wonderful Grade II* listed building, about to undergo renovation, the quintessence of municipal modernity of the period. Notable Ashburton marble staircases, fine wood paneled rooms and cork flooring. Marble & bronze foyers express the optimism of the period. Architect: Reginald H Uren 1934-5.

Booking

Pre-book ONLY by email to hornseytownhalltrust@gmail.com

Please state ‘Open House’ in the Subject box and, in the body of the email, tell us which tour you would like to go on. We will confirm by email. There is a maximum of 15 people at any one time on each tour and we will be running at least two tours simultaneously.

The tour will feature most public areas of Hornsey Town Hall including the Council Chamber.

How to get there: Rail: Crouch Hill; buses: 41,91,W5,W7 (Crouch End Broadway)

Following the elections in May, we’re delighted that our two Ward Councillors have been appointed to the Board – Cllr Natan Doron (Labour) and Cllr Sarah Elliott (Liberal Democrat).

We are working to create a long-term and sustainable future for Hornsey Town Hall and are currently looking for more trustees to join our board. If you are interested, please email hornseytownhalltrust@gmail.com for more information.

We’ll then get back to you outlining the skills and experience we are looking for, a brief job description and some background information on the project.

Looking forward to hearing from you.