Opponents of £29m plans to transform Hornsey Town Hall have had their call for the mayor of London to decide on the scheme rejected.

Members of the Hornsey Town Hall Appreciation Society – set up in 2015 to secure community use for the Grade II*-listed building in Crouch End – wrote to Haringey Council saying the plan to transform the venue into a hotel, arts venue and flats should be decided by London Mayor Sadiq Khan.

The society’s move depended on the status of 67 units to be located within the town hall which the developer behind the application, Far East Consortium Ltd (FEC), describe as a hotel.

However, the society claim the rooms should be treated as “potentially permanent homes” because FEC’s application says nothing about preventing their possible future sale.

Instead the society argued the 67 rooms should be added to the 146 private apartments put forward in the scheme taking the number of homes above the 150 threshold needed to trigger a mayoral call in meaning Mr Khan would take the final decision on whether to approve.

Society member Chris Currie said: “People want to see that the mayor’s objectives on affordable/social housing, spaces for small businesses and arts facilities are taken into account when the decision is taken.

“Confidence in Haringey is low so this is the best way to get an objective view,” he added.

The society argued the mayor should decide on the plan after it emerged earlier this month the FEC plan could not proceed with affordable homes included. It also alleged it would be “very difficult” to select “neutral and objective” planning committee members to decide on the application after 12 Labour councillors faced disciplinary action for rebelling against Haringey’s decision to develop the landmark last year.

In a reply sent on Tuesday Haringey, who would have to refer the request to Mr Khan, dismissed the call saying planners must consider the application “as submitted” with the 67 rooms not considered as houses or flats.

On affordable housing, the council said it is “performing well”, but the application is under review. It adds Crouch End councillor and planning subcommittee member Natan Doron will not participate in the decision-making.