The long running dispute over the future of Ealing’s historic Victoria Hall continued on Wednesday (19 November 2025) with a Charity Tribunal hearing examining an appeal against Labour-run Ealing Council’s proposal to include the community venue in a private hotel and leisure redevelopment of Ealing Town Hall under a 250 year lease to developer Mastcraft.
The online hearing heard representations from the two appellants, local residents Will French and Tony Miller, as well as the Charity Commission and Ealing Council. The public session ended at 1pm before District Judge Worth and two lay tribunal members began their private deliberations during the afternoon.
In a message to supporters following the hearing, Friends of the Victoria Hall (FoVH) chair Roger Green said that the outcome should be known shortly.
He said: “The outcome of their deliberations should be known soon. Judge Worth said that she would issue a draft decision in the next day or so with a final written ruling released within 14 days.”
The case focuses on the Charity Commission’s approval of a scheme that permits Ealing Council to include Victoria Hall in a 250 year lease to a private developer. The lease is part of a wider plan to convert most of Ealing Town Hall into a luxury hotel and associated facilities.
Campaigners argue that Victoria Hall, which opened in the 1890s after being funded by public subscription, occupies more than 20 per cent of the Town Hall complex and is held in trust specifically for the benefit of the local community. They say that allowing the hall to be transferred into a hotel scheme undermines its charitable purpose and risks reducing community access to one of the borough’s largest public venues.
FoVH claims the council has acted in its own interests by seeking to include the hall in the redevelopment and by citing years of under investment as justification for transferring the trust’s assets. The group says the trust has been left in a position where the council now argues it is no longer financially viable, even though the hall was built and endowed for public use.
In his letter to supporters, Mr Green described the latest tribunal hearing as a critical moment.
He said: “This appeal has been our last remaining chance to stop the Council disposing of an asset that does not belong to them. Please contribute what you can and help us to win this hearing. Help us save the Victoria Hall, for today’s and future generations.”
FoVH has been raising funds to cover the legal costs of the appeal and says the current stage of the case is expected to cost between £30,000 and £40,000. The group says that although it has received generous donations, it remains some way short of the total required.
Supporters are being encouraged to donate directly to the Friends of the Victoria Hall bank account, to send a cheque to the group’s treasurer, or to contribute via its CrowdJustice campaign which is hosting the “Save the Victoria Hall” fundraising page.
The tribunal previously ruled against an earlier version of the Charity Commission’s scheme in 2023, finding that it did not adequately safeguard the interests of the Victoria Hall Trust. It ordered the commission and the council to work with the appellants to develop a revised scheme within a set timeframe.
The dispute has continued, and Victoria Hall has now been closed to the public for more than two years. Community and arts groups say the closure has deprived the borough of an important and affordable space for performances, cultural events, celebrations and public meetings.
Ealing Council has argued that the Town Hall complex is too costly to maintain in its current state and that the redevelopment offers a route to secure its long term use. It says community access will be protected through a Community Use Protocol written into the lease.
A draft decision from Judge Worth is expected within days, with a final written ruling due within 14 days of the hearing. The outcome will determine whether the existing scheme approved by the Charity Commission can proceed or whether the trust arrangements must be revisited once again.
