Residents to have a say on Stoke Newington Town Hall revival

Deteriorating: Stoke Newington Town Hall. Photograph: Fin Fahey

Restaurants, housing and art spaces are all on the table as the council invites local opinion on plans to freshen up Stoke Newington Town Hall.

The Council Chamber, a popular wedding venue, and the library are set to stay, but Town Hall chiefs want to reinvigorate vacant parts of the buildings and raise money for much-needed maintenance work.

Council planning boss Guy Nicholson said: “Stoke Newington Town Hall and Library have long been recognised as important landmarks in our borough, but many parts of these elegant buildings are underused and need work done to keep them in good order.

“Now is definitely the right time to breathe new life into the buildings and secure their long-term future.”

In recent years, the council has spent over £5m refurbishing the landmarks and it is estimated that a further £10m will be needed to maintain them over the next few years.

Nicholson said local residents and businesses came up with some “great ideas” during an initial public consultation last October.

Suggestions included introducing workspace, a health clinic or specialist education centre on the lower floors of the Grade II-listed Town Hall building, which currently houses empty offices.

Another option is to turn the Assembly Hall and its adjoining rooms into a performance space, and the Data Centre and Civil Defence buildings have been put forward as possible sites for new housing.

There’s also a choice to make over parts of the library, which could either be extended or converted into a restaurant.

Now the council is inviting people to have a say on the next stage of the process.

Nicholson continued: “The council is keen to hear from as many people as possible as it works towards producing a Planning and Design Guidance document which will guide the future development of these historic buildings and help protect them for future generations.”

The consultation is open until 14 August.

To have your say, pick up a copy of the questionnaire at Stoke Newington Library or fill it out online at hackney.gov.uk/spd, where you can also find information about upcoming drop-in events