Forum Topic

Town Hall to become a hotel????

Is this true? It seems that only very recently the Charles Jones' designed and built Town Hall was refurbished at a high cost to make it more suitable for staff. Is this acceptable or is it a step too far? How many hotels do we need to Ealing?

John Murias ● 3402d6 Comments

Having a lease running for hundreds of years is pointless for a building is pointless as modern tower blocks need to be refitted ever twenty or so years to replace lifts pumps etc etc and are not designed to last even for a hundred years. At some point it becomes more expensive to refurbish the tower block than to demolish it and built anew. So unless the lease is for the land itself to be built on the idea of a lease running for hundreds of years on a tower block owned by someone else is basically pointless.

Charlie Murray ● 3037d

Long leases usually contain provisons to increase ground rent after a number of years-say every 25 years. Also retaing the freehold gives some control (including fortfeiture) but highly dependent on how the lease has been written. Those flats being privately sold could have 125 year (sub)leases but would have the right to extend their (sub)lease under current legislation for another 90 years or up until their landlord's lease expires. Which probably explains why the land leases being sold to developers by the Council) are more than 99 or 125 years.

Terry Freestone ● 3037d

The hotel item dates back to 2014 and now seems to have been abandoned for a project of offices and flats.Either way find it hard to understand how a building which is relatively new needs to be redeveloped. My guess would be that the problem is not ongoing maintenance cost but that the Council cannot sublet the vacant space in the current building.

Andy Jones ● 3037d

Now  Perceval House will become a 20 or 24 storey tower block in the centre of Ealing, on a 250 year lease. What does LBE get in return for these extra long leases?

Fred Hunt ● 3038d

A long lease of 245 years for the Town Hall, a long lease of up to 250 years for Gurnell, and 200 years for Warren Farm,  what happened to 99 year leases?

Fred Hunt ● 3395d

Sounds like it according to the new article on this very site. Seems a shame to lose community spaces but then I wouldn't entirely trust a cash strapped council to keep up the maintenance on a heritage building. I've been in it only once but it felt like a hospital inside. Probably best in the hands of a boutique hotel where their whole image relies on the beauty of the building itself. Sounds like it will also have a bistro, cocktail bar and roof terrace, I'd hope/image those are open to the paying public as well as guests, roof terrace particularly sounds exciting.

Nick Foote ● 3400d