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

1. What are the aims and objectives of the Project?
2. 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?

1. 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?

1. 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

1. What’s going to happen in the square?
2. 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.

1. Will there be a Farmers’ Market?
2. The proposals for the Town Square offer the opportunity to use the space for a range of functions, which could possibly include occasional markets.
3. Why have the community not been consulted before? This is the first I have heard of these plans.
4. 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.

1. How will you take account of comments?
2. 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 6^th 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.

1. How will heritage features, including furnishings and fittings, be protected?
2. 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.
3. Will the Town Hall be fully accessible?
4. 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.

1. What about car parking?
2. 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.

1. What happens next?
2. 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.

1. How much is the refurbishment expected to cost?
2. 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.

1. How is HTHCT going to meet the funding gap?
2. 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.
3. How will HTHCT run the Town Hall and what does its business plan look like?
4. 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.

1. How long will HTHCT’s lease run for?
2. We are hoping to agree a long-term lease.
3. What about the plans for a cinema?
4. 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.

The Hornsey Town Hall Creative Trust is pleased to announce that it is now a registered charity, having recently been awarded charitable status.

Many thanks to all those who attended and participated in this year’s carol concert and helped to make it such a success.

On Sunday 6th December the annual carol concert in the Hornsey Town Hall square got the festive season off to a rousing start. Many thanks to all those who attended and participated and helped to make it such a success. This year the concert was a partnership event run by the Hornsey Journal, Haringey Council, the Crouch End Project and the Hornsey Town Hall Community Partnership Board. It featured performances by the Crouch End Junior Choir and the world-famous Crouch End Festival Chorus.

The event was a fundraiser for the Help a London Child charity and the Mayor of Haringey’s Special Fund which this year is the Alzheimer’s Society. It was a fitting end to the Crouch End Christmas weekend, staged by the Crouch End Project .

More than 30 local families took part in a Haringey event at the Hornsey Town Hall on 12th October to mark The Big Draw.
More than 30 local families took part in a Haringey event at the Hornsey Town Hall on 12th October to mark The Big Draw.

Artist Sian Pattenden was on hand at Hornsey Town Hall at the weekend to help children to draw the building.

Further details about the national event are at www.thebigdraw.org.uk (external link).

There are activities taking place across the country during October, with events aimed at encouraging people of all ages to take up drawing.

Feysal Shurie age 9, Fuaad Shurie age 11, Mia Stacey age 4 and Julia Sayeau age 4 with artist Sian Pattenden.

We have collated the 400 feedback cards we received during the week of the public exhibition in June and have outlined the results below.

esults of the Public Exhibition for the Future of Hornsey Town Hall

Thank you to everyone who took the time to visit the Hornsey Town Hall Exhibition and who took the trouble to give us their feedback. We had just under 1,000 people through the doors of Hornsey Town Hall during the week of the public exhibition (12th – 18th June). Most people who came were  supportive– over 92% of people who completed a feedback card agreed with the approaches to implement the vision. Generally people were excited about the plans to bring the Town Hall back into public use – especially about the Cinema and refurbishment of the Assembly Hall.

We have collated the feedback cards (nearly 400 cards were completed and approximately 1000 people attended overall) and the project team have met to feedback the verbal comments when talking to visitors.

It was very clear that HornseyTown Hall is a very important local landmark and is its protection and development is very important to people.  In general the vast majority of people were very positive about the proposals and some very constructive and helpful comments were received. The broad responses are outlined below:

There were lots of comments received across all sections of the feedback card so these comments were consolidated to understand what factors were important to people.

The top three areas of interest are explained more below:

Parking/Transport

14% of people who completed a feedback card cited Parking/Transportation as an issue. It is also worth noting that this was by far and away the biggest discussion point when talking to people about the proposals. Views ranged across a broad spectrum – from those wanting to see extensive car parking provision to the rear to those wanted a sustainable transport solution with minimal car parking provision and improved public transport and alternative transport solutions.

Throughout the design process to date and ongoing  the proposals for the newly refurbished town hall have included extensive consideration of what parking provision should be included for on the site, particularly as the consultation on the proposals identified parking in Crouch End as a general concern.

However it is clear that due to the nature of the site Car parking facilities for the public will be limited and will not be extensive. Extensive Public Transport surveys have been carried out and we will endeavour to work with TFL and the Councils Sustainable Transport Team to ensure that Local Transport provision reflects the need of the community and supports the needs of visitors who will be travelling by public transport to the new facilities.

Car Parking and Public transport provision are being carefully considered but ultimately we recognise that difficult decisions are likely to have to be made regarding car parking provision for the Town Hall, particularly when considering Haringey Council’s aim to reduce car dependency and promote travel alternatives including walking, cycling and the use of public transport.

However the Community Partnership Board and Haringey are continuing to work in partnership to develop a strategy  for Crouch End to assess and address any issues around parking on the Town Hall site.

Square/Outdoor Space

12% of people who completed a feedback card mentioned the square and public spaces as important to them. The most popular comment was about the ‘Green’ element of the outdoor space. People were eager for a landscaped, public area.  Interest/Concern was also expressed about the front square and it is evident from written and verbal comments this retentions and development is a vital component of the design – many eager for its modelling on a European ‘piazza’ style design with Cafés and performance spaces integral to this.

Residential

The Residential Element to the project was mentioned on 11% of feedback cards. Generally people were concerned about the impact and design of the new design would impact of the local area particularly the massing. It is important that these concerns about the impact of the residential are considered. It is expected that close consultation with planning authority may mitigate many of these fears. 

Next Steps

All the comments have been fed back to the design team who will consider the comments provided through the next stage of the design. Planning permission for the scheme is planned to be applied for in Autumn . Please watch this space for the latest news on the Hornsey Town Hall Project.

To view a more detailed breakdown of the results of the Exhibition, click here

Read the press release about the Exhibition here 

Hornsey Town Hall opened its doors for London OpenHouse on Saturday 19 September, attracting over 500 visitors.

There were approximately  five guided tours per hour and performances by local theatre group 19.29 helped to bring the building to life.

Major roof repair work is getting underway at the Town Hall. A five week programme will include full waterproofing, repairs to the fabric of the building including coping stones and pointing, and renewal of rainwater outlets and downpipes.

The exhibition will be open to the public on the dates and times listed below;

Friday 12th June 9.00 – 5pm

Saturday 13th June 10.00- 4pm

Sunday 14th June 10.00-4pm

Monday 15th June 9.00 – 5pm

Tuesday 16th June 12.00 – 9pm

Wednesday 17th June 9.00 – 5pm

Thursday 18th June 9.00 – 5pm

Work is currently underway on the options regarding the renaissance of Hornsey Town Hall. Recent activity has included a range of surveys to establish the current condition of the building and examination of the possible uses for the building. The Community Partnership Board is also developing a Business Plan which aims to make the renaissance of this community Asset sustainable and self funding. It is planned that an exhibition will take place starting on 12th June at Hornsey Town Hall to give the public a chance to view the proposals and to make comments about the design – you will also be able to view progress on The Haringey Council website (www.haringey.gov.uk) and subscribe to our mailing list to be kept up to date.

Ann Wilks, Chair of the Community Partnership Board, said: “We have been working hard over the past months with Haringey Council, our consultants Capita Symonds and our architects John McAslan + Partners , who have a fantastic track record with heritage projects like this.

“We now have the opportunity to breathe new life back into this important building, for Crouch End, Haringey and beyond.

“I hope as many people as possible will visit the exhibition look at the plans and give us their views.”

Hornsey Town Hall, the Haringey Council-owned grade 2* listed building in the heart of Crouch End, is currently playing a major part in national and international TV and film productions. Its fine wood panelled rooms, marble staircases and unique exterior are in strong demand for comedies, period dramas and even major feature films.

Its most recent appearance is in Armando Iannucci’s highly-praised satirical take on politics, ‘In the Loop’ (released in UK cinemas on April 17th) doubling as the US State Department Building, where James ‘Tony Soprano’ Gandolfini spent a couple of days on-set filming with the British cast, including Crouch End resident, Peter Capaldi.

Other recent credits for Hornsey Town Hall include feature films Derailed (staring Jennifer Anniston and Clive Owen) where it appeared as a Chicago office Lobby and De Lovely (the biopic of Cole Porter with Kevin Cline and Ashley Judd) playing Art Deco New York.

Recent television credits include the drama series Whitechapel, Silent Witness, Moses Jones, The Curse of Steptoe,10 Days to War and Auf Wiedersehen Pet . The Town Hall has appeared as a police station, mortuary, hospital, post office, Whitehall, courthouse, theatre dressing room and Ugandan nightclub, Cuban Embassy and the Buena Vista Social Club.

The town hall exterior can also be seen in comedies as diverse as Peep Show (watch out for it in the opening sequence) and the classic ‘rom zom com’ Shaun of the Dead. It’s even extended to a brief appearance as a plush hotel lobby in a Lynx advert.

Hornsey Town Hall has also recently supported emerging local filmmakers, being used as a location for Haringey Council’s North London Film Fund short film projects.

The interior features are also currently on display as part of a major Stanley Kubrick exhibition in the BFI Southbank Gallery until 26th April. The distinctive wood panelled offices and marble staircases were used as a backdrop for ‘Unfolding the Aryan Papers’ – a re-imagining of Kubrick’s unfinished film project by Turner Prize nominated artists Jane & Louise Wilson (www.bfi.org.uk/gallery).

The income derived from these uses goes towards the maintenance and upkeep of this award-winning building, built in 1935 by Reginald Uren.

Plans to restore this local landmark as a major centre for arts and the community are now gathering momentum. A public exhibition is being planned for 12-14 June. The project is a culmination of a number of years work in partnership by Haringey Council and the Community Partnership Board.

The refurbishment project will be part-funded by the development of Brownfield land to the rear of the building. It is planned that the Hornsey Town Hall Creative Trust (the successor body to the Community Partnership Board) will take over the running of the building when restoration is completed in 2012. Award-winning architects, John McAslan+ Partners (whose recent projects include The Roundhouse and the De Le Warr Pavilion in Bexhill on Sea), have been appointed to bring the building back to arts and community use as part of a team led by Capita Symonds Ltd.