HIGH COURT JUDGE QUASHES EALING COUNCIL’S DECISION TO SELL ICONIC BUILDING – HISTORIC VICTORY FOR LOCAL CAMPAIGNERS TO SAVE SOUTHALL TOWN HALL. On Friday, the 20th July 2018, the SAVE SOUTHALL TOWN HALL CAMPAIGN won a major victory at the Royal Courts of Justice. In an oral judgement, Justice McKenna has ruled that Ealing Council acted unlawfully and unreasonably in their decision to sell the Southall Town Hall, an iconic…
STOP PRESS! WIN FOR SOUTHALL TOWN HALL
We have just received a report from Janpal Singh Basran that campaigners have won their legal case to prevent the sale of Southall Town Hall by Ealing Council. Our congratulations to all the individuals and groups in Southall who have fought hard to preserve this important and well used community asset. Official press release will follow.
Lawyers write to Charity Commission
Our lawyers Bates Wells & Braithwaite London LLP have submitted a hard hitting letter (see this link) to the Charity Commission outlining all that is wrong with Ealing Council’s consultation, its proposals for the Victoria Hall Trust and the awful mess it has made of management. We have written to the chief executive and leader of the council to discuss how to move forward through positive dialogue. Pitzhanger Manor and…
The fight for Southall Town Hall goes on
The fight to retain Southall Town Hall is to go to a full judicial review hearing. Campaigners seeking to preserve the Town Hall as a hub for the community had been disappointed when a judge decided that their case should not proceed. However at an 18th April hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice, Judge Kate Markus QC ruled the case should go to a full hearing. A large number…
Ealing Town Hall. Do we have any alternatives?
Julian Bell explained to the General Purposes Committee, (at 2.40 minutes in) why he thinks the deal with Mastcraft to convert the Town Hall into a Boutique Hotel is a good one. Is he right? A boutique hotel is unlikely to bring significant economic benefits to Ealing town centre, or achieve much change to its increasingly down-at-heel character. Anyway the deal apparently allows Mastcraft to convert the whole town hall into…
General Purposes Cttee rejects 277 objections, without discussion
A lot has happened and it’s time for an update on our campaign to retain Victoria Hall as its founding fathers intended when they donated their money to build the place a century and a quarter ago. A big thank you then to everyone – there were 277 of you – who wrote in response to the Council’s consultation on its plans to hand over the hall. A further 1400…
LBE responds to Victoria Hall consultation
A report on the Victoria Hall Trust consultation is to be discussed by the Council’s General Purposes Committee on 15th March. The report says over 275 people responded to the consultation and it lists the wide-ranging objections to the Council’s plans: Objections to disposal of Ealing Town Hall Objections to changing the Trust Objects Desire for local people to be able to join the Trust Board Further clarity on consultation…
Victoria Hall Trust Consultation – Response by Ealing Voice
The Council’s consultation on its plans to dispose of the Victoria Hall has now closed. Thanks to everyone for responding to Ealing Voice’s campaign to retain the trust as a charitable asset by objecting to the planned disposal. You can view here the response by by Ealing Voice. We understand the 15th March meeting of the Council’s General Purposes Committee will discuss a report on the consultation before any report…
Second Consultation – How to Respond
Ealing Council’s second consultation on the plans to dispose of the Victoria Hall raises further issues affecting the Charitable Trust that manages the Hall. After further discussions with the Council about its plans, Ealing Voice has prepared new guidance for people wishing to respond to the second consultation. The deadline for comments is March 2nd. The Council’s General Purposes sub committee will then consider what happens at…
Old Acton Library – New Bid
Bidding has reopened for parties interested in taking over one of Acton’s most prominent buildings, the old Acton Library. Ealing Council had agreed a deal with Curzon Cinemas to take over the vacant library building and convert it as a cinema, restaurant, bar and three flats. But the deal has broken down and the library remains empty and unmaintained. So the Central Acton Neighbourhood Forum (CANForum) are dusting down some…