Another Delay for Victoria Hall Court Appeal

Legal dispute has already run for four years

Field House Tribunal Hearings Centre, where the appeal process started in February 2023. Picture: Roger Green

April 30, 2025

There was further disappointment for campaigners seeking to secure the future of Victoria Hall in Ealing with yet another delay in the long running legal dispute.

A hearing of the Charity Tribunal about the case due to take place next Tuesday (6 May) has been cancelled at short notice.

Two residents were to have pursued their appeal on behalf of the Friends of the Victoria Hall (FoVH) against the decision of the government charities regulator to allow Ealing Council to sell off the public hall.

FoVH managed to get the court to squash the first version of the Charity Commission’s proposed scheme which would have allowed the council to proceed with taking over the hall. The ruling stated that it was not satisfied that the proposed rule changes adequately protected the interests of the Charity. When revisions were made to the scheme in September 2024, FoVH did not accept that they dealt with its concerns and made the appeal which was due to be held next week. However, an application to strike out the appeal made by the Charity Commission has resulted in the cancellation.

Roger Green, chair of the Friends of the Victoria Hall (FOVH) said, “Charles Dickens himself couldn’t have imagined how long this has dragged on. This appeal was first lodged four years ago and next week’s hearing was scheduled back in January.

“It’s in no-one’s interest for this to drag on and it’s high time that things were brought to a proper conclusion. Ealing Council’s sell-off deal should not be allowed to stand. Despite the Charity Commission's strike-out chicanery, we’re confident that if there’s any justice, our carefully-crafted legal argument should prevail.”

The court’s cancellation announcement said, "The Tribunal Judge had a look at appeal documents and advised this matter should be decided on paper, an oral hearing is not required to make a decision on strike out application. The Judge will consider this matter on paper in due course therefore the oral hearing dated 6 May 2025 is cancelled.”

The Victoria Hall is the Borough’s only large, central, easily accessible public hall containing a range of different sized rooms which can accommodate everything from bereavement support group to a full-scale opera performance.

It was built soon after – and right next to – Ealing Town Hall and paid for by donations from local citizens who in 1893 formed a charity, the Victoria Hall Trust to manage the Hall for the benefit of the community and to use the proceeds for charitable purposes.

In October 2014 Ealing Council decided to market the ‘opportunity’ to refurbish Ealing Town Hall including in the package the Victoria Hall which accounts for more than 20% of the site.

Two years later, the Council granted a 250-year lease to a development company whose intention is to turn the Town Hall and the Victoria Hall into a luxury hotel. Some of the Hall would be demolished and other parts of it used for a wellness spa.

FoVH says that this arrangement should not be allowed to proceed because Victoria Hall was built and paid for separately from the Town Hall meaning that it is the property of the Victoria Hall Trust. When in May 2017 this was brought to the Council’s attention it applied to the Charity Commission for permission to vary the rules or ‘Scheme’ that governed the Trust, in a way that would allow Ealing Council to take over ownership of the Victoria Hall and include it in the hotel deal. This would mean that the Hall will be reduced in size, unavailable at weekends and cost more to hire.

Ealing Council's rationale for including Victoria Hall in the redevelopment of Ealing Town Hall centres on the building's age, maintenance costs, and the need to secure its future use. The Council argues that the Town Hall, over 100 years old, is expensive to maintain and no longer meets modern standards for safety and accessibility. It believes that partnering with a developer to renovate the building will preserve its historic and civic functions while ensuring its viability for future generations .

The lease agreement includes a 'Community Use Protocol' intended to guarantee community access to Victoria Hall and other spaces at affordable rates throughout the lease term. The Council maintains that this arrangement will uphold the charitable purposes of the Victoria Hall Trust .

However, this proposal has faced opposition. Critics argue that the plan compromises the original charitable intent of Victoria Hall, which was built through public subscription in 1893 to serve as a community venue. Concerns have been raised about reduced public access, potential demolition of parts of the building, and the adequacy of the Community Use Protocol.

FoVH was formed in 2019 by ten local residents to prevent the loss of the hall and it has since raised over £125,000 to engage in a legal battle with the Council and the Charity Commission over the issue.