Hornsey Town Hall: Saving our jewel in the crown
23rd March 2010
The faded jewel in Crouch End’s crown is set to sparkle once more as plans for the re-birth of Hornsey Town Hall are finally unveiled. The Grade II listed art deco building is on the verge of a highly anticipated transformation into an arts centre with an ambitious £18million scheme including a new theatre, studio space, bars and housing.
But the people behind the project describe their vision as more than the renovation of a classical landmark, hailing it as a cultural shot in the arm for north London. Ann Wilks, chairwoman of the Hornsey Town Hall Creative Trust which has led the project with Haringey Council’s backing, said: “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.”
If the proposals are given the go-ahead, work will take place in three stages, with the builders due on site as early as this summer. It is due for completion in 2012. The first phase, with a provisional £14million price tag, will involve building a new assembly hall to host classical, jazz and rock concerts as well as sports and dance shows. It will also serve as a cinema and rehearsal and performance space for community events.
The work will be part-funded by the sale of land at the back of the town hall, the Broadway Mews and the East Wing, for housing, valued at around £10million. The site, owned by the council, will be sold off with planning permission for 123 homes if the scheme is approved. In the meantime the council has advanced £7.1million to get the project off the ground, while the trust will contribute an extra £3million through fundraising.
The remaining two phases are estimated to cost £2million and £2.29million respect-ively, but project bosses insisted the figures could be “revised downwards” if necessary.
The Hornsey Town Hall Creative Trust has pledged to take on all management responsibilities for the new facilities.
Architect John McAslan, of John McAslan and Partners, the firm behind the much-lauded overhaul of The Roundhouse in Camden, said he hoped they could repeat their success in Crouch End.
He said: “It is hugely important that we save our town halls from the ravages of decay; it is fortunate that the local people have really taken this project to heart and with their continued support and the backing of Haringey Council we aim to create an arts and enterprise centre that will serve London well into the future.”
Source: Tottenham Journal
