The judicial review bid was called off at the eleventh hour, after lawyers for the campaigners found information that would have weakened the case.

Ham & High: Hornsey Town Hall protestersHornsey Town Hall protesters (Image: Archant)

The battle to save Hornsey Town Hall from development has come to an end, after campaigners have called time on plans to hold a judicial review into the decision to sell off the building to overseas developers.

Campaigners made the decision at the eleventh hour on Sunday night, after lawyers working for the group found that the Far East Consortium had previously responded to an area that campaigners believed they had overlooked.

The group had raised the majority of their £20,000 target from community groups, who were concerned about the decision to award the contract to FEC.

Dave Winskill, who is a member of the community group behind the action said the decision to pull out “felt like a bereavement.”

Ham & High: Hornsey Town Hall. Picture: Dave WinskillHornsey Town Hall. Picture: Dave Winskill (Image: Archant)

He said: “The lawyers have put in thousands of hours into this and we have been blown away by the response of the community.

“The anger still burns over this. People don’t feel that the decision to covert it into a hotel is right.”

The scheme will see the town hall site developed to house 146 flats, which will help pay for the restoration of the building.

However, protesters have criticised the lack of affordable and social housing.

The east wing of the town hall will be converted into a hotel, as part of the plan. Campaigners say more than 77 small businesses will be lost on the site.

The £25m profit forecast by financial analysts has also come under fire

However Mr Winskill hopes the issue will help highlight issues around planning in the future, especially with an election on May 3.

“We hope that it will strengthen the arm of Haringey’s planning department, when they are considering amendments to existing schemes.”

A spokeswoman for the FEC said the deal would amount to £31million in the project, and will see the building removed from Historic England’s “at risk” register.

Mr Winskill also confirmed that the money that was pledged towards the judicial review costs, will be returned to the people who originally offered it.

Around £14,817 had been pledged of the overall £20,000 target.