Help save Hornsey Town Hall - campaign for community ownership

Such a gorgeous building. Would love to be able to see more community activities happening there.

It is criminal that our town hall has been allowed to deteriorate We really need to preserve it and make it part of our Crouch End community.

Fully support this petition. Suggest you also put it onto Change.org

Dear campaigners, Have you heard of the 3-year campaign to save the Town Hall, "Crouch End for People", of 14 to 10 years ago, to turn the Town Hall into a Community/Art Centre and against Haringey Council plans to sell it off to private developers? Times have changed, of course, we did not have at our disposal online campaigns or Internet social networks then, but we did manage to collect around 6 thousand signatures supporting our campaign, plus numerous attempts to negotiate with the Council, we had films, demonstrations, very crowded public meetings, TV coverage, weekly letters and hot debates in the local media, very capable professional individuals fronting the campaign (architects, accountants, lawyers...), you name it. By some bizarre reasoning, Haringey Council refused to consider us, all local residents Crouch Enders, as part of the community, just because we were trying to derail their plans to sell the Town Hall, despite our willingness to negotiate some sort of solution with them. They used all tricks in the book to defeat us. In the end, the public support to our campaign was too much for them to go ahead with their anti-community plans. Later they published a plan more or less similar to our proposals (without mentioning our campaign). Ten years later, nothing happened and now the same story again. Do use change.org or 38degrees, as Ben suggested. And Facebook, Twitter, etc. Good luck and be prepared... It seemed to us at the time that the concept "community" for Haringey Council was only part of a lip service exercise.

Please preserve this beautiful Town Hall for public use!

can't this place be put to some good use by the community? not just some/another bland, corporate money making scheme/institution. Isn't there any way it can be a community centre for the community? classes? groups? meetings? events? a place people can gather? a place where people can start stuff? start/have a community? a place for learning/socialising, maybe make some money in the process for the council too that way? does it have to be sold just for the money? can't you rent out the space and get money that way? please? I want community in this world/people gathering. society, unity? yoga?!! would you not make money by renting it out to the community? not selling it and never getting it back? the people want it.

Finally after all these years we can have access to our Town Hall we are worried for its closure. We are looking forward to using it this year for our High Holydays services. Karen Goldstone - Crouch End Chavurah

Hornsey Town hall is a fantastic space which should be used for community events. The recent arts events there have been fantastic and bought the whole community together.

How can we trust developers to respect this architectural heritage.

Stop selling off public property for flats we need more schools..

The town hall, should remain a resource for the community not another block of "luxury apartments" for the enrichment of a developer, nor should it be part of a sell of by Harngey council.

This is an amazing building and space that I have recently sung and danced in. It has a place in our community and it is incredible to think it has remained empty and unused for so long. Now it has been out to good use someone comes along to buy and redevelop it......

I have lived in Haringey for almost 50 years and now my daughters and their families live in or near Crouch End. The Town Hall has been such a wonderful resource, and could be again. I realise all councils are seriously strapped for cash, but I really hope you will find a compromise between raising money, and saving this treasured building for our grandchildren's generation.

People love this place because it brings a smile on their face. Don't take it away from them!

I used to dance here on the main stage when I was 10.... I'm now 45. My daughter has now started dance classes here - it's such a wonderful space, Crouch End needs a big community space where lots of different affordable activities are available to the public. It would help support the local business, community coming together and keep the growing number of youths occupied and engaged in life making our area a happy & safe area to grow up in and enjoy. There is so much more that can be done and the people are happy to contribute to its upkeep if given the chance. We have soooo many skilled and talented professionals in the area that I'm sure would give their time to restore, decorate, manage & run. There is no excuse to sell this off and would be hugely detrimental to the community. School intake around here is already bursting - we need more things to do for the people that already live here.... I look forward to us pulling together!

Bex Salmon Crouch End N8

We need housing, it's true but the Town Hall is a Hub that can and does bring the community together. Please don't destroy that. Make it in to a viable place for entertainments, businesses while keeping it's charm.

Everyone should have asses to this beautiful hall. Using it a cultural or Art venue could really put Crouch End out there as an innovative area.

I love the town hall, please don't turn it into flats.

Paul Bennett 128 Weston Park Crouch End N8 9PN