Drive to sell off Hornsey Town Hall accelerates, amid fears for community access

A “prior information notice,” has been publically issued by Haringey council to alert developers that bidding will soon open for the Grade II* listed building.

The development of the 1930s art deco hall and the surrounding sites could be worth £100m to £150m.

The listing advertises that 123 residential buildings can be erected at the back of the site and the sell-off will include the Town Hall, the Town Hall annex, the public square in front of the hall, and the car park.

Hornsey Town Hall is currently listed on English Heritage’s “buildings at risk” register and conditions are in place to ensure that it must be refurbished by developers at the same time as building homes at the back.

Crucially, the notice outlines that any new developer must maintain “some degree” of public access within the hall itself.

“It could be as little as access into a café,” Crouch End resident Mark Afford said. “We’re concerned at the minimum level of community access.”

A Haringey Council spokewoman said: “We share local people’s enthusiasm for Hornsey Town Hall, which is why we’re committed to finding the best possible long-term future for the building.

“We will have in place a set of clear assessment criteria, including community access. Bids that fail to meet these criteria will not be considered.”