Haringey Council has submitted the planning application for Hornsey Town Hall.
Ann Wilks, Chair of HTHCT, says, “This is an important milestone in the life of Hornsey Town Hall. We are now much closer to realising the community’s aspirations for this magnificent and important building. We very much hope the community will support the scheme.” To view the Trust’s press release, click here
To view the planning application online, please follow this link: http://www.planningservices.haringey.gov.uk/portal/servlets/ApplicationSearchServlet?PKID=211626
The application can be seen at Haringey Council’s planning office at 639 High Road, Tottenham, N17 8BD.
Comments on the planning application
We would urge you to submit your comments on the planning application. This can be done online via www.haringey.gov.uk/planning or in writing to: Hornsey Town Hall application, Haringey Council, 639 High Road, London N17 8BD. Telephone: 020 8489 5300.
Important dates
6th April – mid-June (exact date TBC): Planning exhibition at Hornsey Library, Haringey Park, London N8 9JA
Hornsey Town Hall – Questions and Answers
- What are the aims and objectives of the Project?
- The aim of the Hornsey Town Hall regeneration project is to establish ‘A world-class model of civic renaissance, an arena for all that harnesses a spirit of progress, community, creativity and enterprise for future generations in Haringey, London and beyond.’
The objectives are to:
- Restore the HornseyTown Hall in a way that respects its Grade II* listed building status and safeguards its future by providing financially sustainable spaces fit for purpose.
- Facilitate cultural, community and other activities in the Town Hall, provide public access to the building and make a positive contribution to the local economy
Q What have you been doing since last July?
- The last 7 months have been spent developing the outline ideas first shown in the public consultation into a detailed planning application.
Q What are the main changes since last July?
- The ideas shown in July are broadly the same as those submitted in the planning application, but the main changes are:
- Working with English Heritage to ensure the housing element is in keeping with the scale of the listed building, whilst yielding sufficient income to pay for the Town Hall remodelling
- Resolving the car and bicycle parking on site in line with planning requirements
- Improving disability access throughout the scheme
- Developing the landscape and amenity space around the site including a ‘reading garden’
- Refining ideas for the ‘Town Square’ in front of the building
- Introducing a multi-purpose events space for film/theatre/dance/exhibitions instead of (unviable) cinema spaces
- Introducing housing in the Broadway annexe and the link building instead of offices to ensure a financially viable scheme
- Introducing a balcony into the main theatre/assembly hall space
- What’s going to happen in the square?
- The square will be a key part of the Town Hall development
A lawn will form a central feature of the space, which be more easily accessed and used by the local community.
The Town Square itself will be developed to provide a flexible multi-functional open space for events with a paved area where the community can gather.
This space will be able to accommodate a range of functions from theatre to outdoor cinema, markets, festivals, town fair, etc.
- Will there be a Farmers’ Market?
- The proposals for the Town Square offer the opportunity to use the space for a range of functions, which could possibly include occasional markets.
- Why have the community not been consulted before? This is the first I have heard of these plans.
- The Community Partnership Board (now HTHCT) has run several exhibitions presenting their ideas to the local community and asking for opinions.
The most recent was a week-long exhibition at the Town Hall in June 2009. Comments made at the exhibition were, where possible, fed back into the plans.
Last year, the Trust launched www.hornsey-town-hall.org.uk where people can get updates, make comments and sign up for email communications.
- How will you take account of comments?
- Comments from the well-attended public exhibition held in June 2009 were fed back to the design team and Trust for consideration in the final plans.
There will be a Development Management Forum on March 25 to give interested parties the opportunity to ask officers, the Trust and architects about the finer details of the plan.
An exhibition will be on display at Hornsey Library from 6th April where Trustees will attend to speak to anyone with queries.
Plans will be available to view at the Planning office, 639 Tottenham High Road, N17 8BD and an exhibition will go on display at Hornsey Library, HaringeyPark, N8 from April 6th.
- How will heritage features, including furnishings and fittings, be protected?
- A historical building record has been undertaken documenting and photographing all heritage features so that they can be refurbished / restored and returned to their original setting wherever possible.
- Will the Town Hall be fully accessible?
- Access improvements will include:
- Ramped access to the main entrance and tower entrance
- Enhanced accessible visitor parking – with four bays at street level.
- Accessible WCs in all public areas
- Access to the reading garden from the Town Hall exhibition space
- 12 wheelchair accessible residential apartments with blue badge parking provided
- Stage and green room wheelchair access with accessible WC and shower
- A safe landscape with pedestrian priority which takes into account the needs of people with restricted mobility, eyesight and hearing.
- What about car parking?
- There are mixed views in the local community about car parking.
Some commentators wish for more car parking on site to reduce any parking in surrounding streets, whilst others ask for zero parking to encourage more sustainable forms of transport.
We believe that we have a suitable balance that provides space for about half the residential units. This will include charging points for electric vehicles, spaces for ‘car clubs’ and some blue badge and disabled parking. The development also includes generous cycle parking provision.
We have already recognised that we need to have a range of transport options for users of the Town hall and the project team will work with TfL and the Council’s Sustainable Transport Team to try to ensure that local transport reflects the needs of both the local community and other visitors the new facilities.
We will try to encourage people to walk, cycle and use public transport where possible.
Haringey Council is exploring wider parking issues around Crouch End.
- What happens next?
- The next step after the consultation period will be for the planning committee to consider the application.
If permission is granted, work will begin to develop a detailed design for Phase 1 of the refurbishment works and to market the rear of the site for sale to a developer.
The start date is subject to sale of the site, but it is hoped that works will start in 2011 and the Town Hall will be opened in early 2014.
- How much is the refurbishment expected to cost?
- The project costs will depend on the extent of the refurbishment at each stage, but currently phase 1 is expected to be in the region of £14m. About a quarter of this is for professional fees, surveys, legal and other associated services.
Phase 1 will be funded through the capital receipt from the housing development and partly by fund raising to the tune of £3m from the Trust. We must emphasise that these figures are provisional, based on current estimates. Whilst we have drawn on professional advice, there will be no certainty about the construction costs or the income from land sales until we test the scheme in the market.
- How is HTHCT going to meet the funding gap?
- HTHCT considered its approach to fundraising during 2009 and has set out the strategy which it will pursue. Planning approval for the facilitating development will accurately establish the extent of the funding gap (currently estimated at £3million). Fundraising will commence in earnest once the planning position is determined.
- How will HTHCT run the Town Hall and what does its business plan look like?
- Under a head lease from Haringey Council, the Trust will grant under leases to a variety of tenants and collect rents/service charges through those leases. Since the Trust is a not-for-profit body, its job is to utilise income from tenants for the purpose of running the building and maintaining the listed structures in good shape for the future.
The types of tenants HTHCT will actively encourage are those in both cultural and commercial fields that share HTHCT’s commitment to public access to the Town Hall. HTHCT plans to secure a mix of performance, exhibition, café/restaurants, retail, some office and meetings space.
HTHCT is currently in discussion with a range of organisations and potential tenants.
- How long will HTHCT’s lease run for?
- We are hoping to agree a long-term lease.
- What about the plans for a cinema?
- A permanent cinema at the Town Hall is less likely, but designs include a ‘black box’ acoustic space with flexibility to accommodate a cinema.
HTHCT feel that a cinema was, and remains, a key element of the Town Hall creative vision, particularly in view of new digital broadcast content, but it needs to be financially viable.
The Trust is continuing to explore the potential for a cinema at HornseyTown Hall with independent cinema operators.
