Charity Tribunal Accepts that Victoria Hall Can Be Sold

However current deal has been effectively blocked says Friends group

Victoria Hall has been closed since September 2023. Picture: Roger Green

December 2, 2025

A court ruling has placed new restrictions on Ealing Council’s long-contested attempt to sell the Victoria Hall to hotel developer Mastcraft, effectively blocking the deal agreed in November 2019 from proceeding in its original form.

The Charity Tribunal’s decision, handed down on 25 November, dismissed the broader appeal against the Charity Commission’s scheme that permitted disposal of the Hall. However, the Tribunal introduced two significant safeguards that mean the Council’s original agreement with Mastcraft cannot go ahead as planned.

Roger Green, chair of the Friends of the Victoria Hall (FoVH), welcomed the ruling as a partial victory for campaigners who have fought for years to preserve the Hall for community use.

“Although our broader appeal has been rejected, the Tribunal decision contains two important new safeguards for the future of the Hall,” Green said. “We are calling upon the Victoria Hall Trust Advisory Committee to explain how it plans to put into practice the court’s ruling – in particular, the renegotiation of the 2019 lease agreed by the Council with Mastcraft; and the proper determination of the boundaries of the Trust property, which had been significantly underestimated by the Council in its original sell-off deal.”

The Victoria Hall Trust Advisory Committee, established in 2021 to oversee the charity’s affairs independently of Ealing councillors, is due to meet on 11 December. Campaigners say this meeting will be crucial in determining how the Tribunal’s requirements are implemented.

Mr Green added, “The Advisory Committee must recognise the verdict of the court that it is not bound by agreements that the Council has made and it must renegotiate the 2019 lease, especially the very limited access that the community would have to the Victoria Hall if it were to become part of a luxury hotel. The terms decreed in 2019 by Council officers would have effectively eliminated the function of the charity.”

The Victoria Hall, adjacent to Ealing Town Hall, is the borough’s only large, central, and easily accessible public hall. Built in 1893 with funds raised by local residents, it has long served as a venue for everything from bereavement support groups to orchestral concerts and religious festivals.

The Hall was established under the Victoria Hall Trust, which stipulated that it be managed for the benefit of the community. Despite this, in 2014 Ealing Council included the Hall in plans to market the Town Hall site for redevelopment. By 2016, the Council had granted a 250-year lease to Mastcraft, whose plans involved converting the Town Hall and Victoria Hall into a luxury hotel, with parts of the Hall demolished and others repurposed as spa facilities.

Campaigners argued that the Council had no right to sell the Hall, as it was legally the property of the Trust. In 2017, the Council sought permission from the Charity Commission to vary the Trust’s governing scheme, enabling it to take control of the Hall and include it in the hotel deal.

The Friends of the Victoria Hall, formed in 2019 by ten local residents’ groups, have since raised more than £125,000 to fund legal challenges. Their efforts secured a major victory in September 2023, when the court quashed the Commission’s first revised scheme. A second version, issued in September 2024, was also contested, leading to last month’s Tribunal ruling.

The Tribunal’s restrictions now require the Advisory Committee to revisit the boundaries of the Trust property and renegotiate the 2019 lease with Mastcraft. Campaigners argue that these steps are essential to safeguarding community access and ensuring the Hall continues to serve its founding charitable purpose.

With the Advisory Committee’s next meeting scheduled for 11 December, the Friends of the Victoria Hall say they will be watching closely to see how the ruling is put into practice.

An Ealing Council spokesperson said, “To be clear: the appeal against the Charity Commission’s scheme was dismissed, in full, confirming the council has taken the right decision as sole trustee with its management of the Victoria Hall Trust to support the Trust being able to do its work again.

“In addition, the tribunal imposed no new conditions: it simply reinforced obligations already in the approved scheme, including clarifying boundaries and the need for certain terms of the Mastcraft deal to be renegotiated – matters the council had accepted. The Friends of Victoria Hall’s appeal has not added any new requirements.

“The appeal has been wholly unsuccessful and the tribunal endorsed the redevelopment of Ealing Town Hall as being in the trust’s best interests, paving the way for the project.
“We welcome the Friends’ further acknowledgement that the hotel proposal is the only viable option and their support for its success.

“We remain focused on delivering the scheme and ensuring Victoria Hall continues serving the borough’s residents.”