Council to Approve Sales of Fulham Town Hall and Sands End Centre
Report recommends sell-off of nine buildings to reduce debts
Hammersmith and Fulham Council is almost certain to give the go ahead for the sale of nine council buildings, including Fulham Town Hall and Sands End Community Centre, at a Cabinet meeting on Monday February 7.
The council says it plans to sell the "under-used" buildings in order to help pay off its £133 million historic debt and reduce the impact of the public sector funding squeeze on its frontline services.
It says a detailed consultation was carried out over the Autumn on the proposals which resulted in a report recommending that Cabinet:
approve the sale of Fulham Town Hall, Palingswick House, the Distillery Lane centre, 58 Bulwer Street, Askham Centre and the Greswell centre;
approve that leases on Cambridge House, Barclay House and 20 Hammersmith Broadway are not renewed;
revoke the Cabinet decision of January 2009 to extend the lease of the Irish Cultural Centre so that it can be offered for sale to the sitting tenant – the Irish Cultural Centre Hammersmith Ltd.
defer the decision on 50 Commonwealth Avenue pending the outcome of the Day Opportunities review and until an alternative site is agreed for the existing occupants.
A separate report to Cabinet on 7 February recommends approval of the proposed sale of Sands End Community Centre.
“We have had a very wide-ranging consultation on the sale of these sites and I appreciate the contributions that local people have made,” says Council Leader, Councillor Stephen Greenhalgh. “I understand how difficult some people have found it to come to terms with the budget pressures we are facing, but the reality is, we have no choice but to reduce our spending and whether it is right to sell buildings rather than cut services will be decided by Cabinet on February 7."
Here are details from the council of the two local buildings:
Fulham Town Hall
H&F is the fourth smallest borough in London but still currently has two town halls. Fulham Town Hall is very under-used with 40% of space empty. The building requires renovation which taxpayers cannot afford in the current economic climate. Council officers recommend that selling the site provides the most likely route to preserving the building and bringing it back to life.
Fulham Town Hall could be part of a major regeneration plan for the town centre, bringing new business and vitality to the heart of Fulham.
It is recommended that services such as registrars, CCTV and parking attendants are relocated to other council buildings. It is proposed that cemeteries staff relocate to Mortlake Cemetery, where they will be on-site and better able to assist with residents’ enquiries. Housing services could easily be combined with the Fulham North Housing Office, if a decision to sell the building is made.
The council adds that of the 320 people who responded, less than half (49%) objected to the sale of Fulham Town Hall.
Sands End Community Centre
Sands End Community Centre, it says, is also currently under-used. It houses gym facilities and adult education classes which could be re-provided nearby; the local children’s centre which could move to better facilities in Townmead Road where there is outside play space; and a local library.
The library is the least used of the six libraries in the borough, issuing only 13 items per hour at a cost of over £5 per visit and its future as a potential community facility elsewhere in the ward will be the subject of a separate consultation this summer.
In December, the council announced "exciting proposals" to secure the future of Sands End Library, by moving the library to the nearby Hurlingham and Chelsea School. This new library, which would be run predominantly by volunteers with space for activities and events, would uld save the council £206,000 a year.
In January, it was reported that if the council rubber stamps the plans on February 7, as expected, it will appoint agents Lambert Smith Hampton to sell the 19th-century Town Hall. And while the agents are exploring various options, it seems most likely that it will end up becoming a luxury hotel.
The property website also reports that BNP Paribas Real Estate has been appointed by the council to assess alternative uses for the other sites on the list to be sold, which include them Sands End Community Centre
February 1, 2011
