Horsham District Council has opened up the possibility that the Old Town Hall may be used as something other than a restaurant.
Cllr Robert Nye told a meeting that the council he leads “doesn’t have any problem” with the building being transformed into something else – but only if a new scheme can be properly financed and run.
Cllr Nye also responded in writing to a question by Old Town Hall campaigner Robert Mayfield about a recent marketing exercise which cost £3,000.
The council leader said: “Following the withdrawal of Bill’s Café and Produce Store last November, we commissioned a commercial property agent, Davis Coffer Lyons, to undertake another marketing exercise in accordance with the council’s previous decision to let the building for use as a restaurant. The agents produced a new colour brochure and targeted specific operators who they considered would be interested in leasing the property and who would also meet the council’s brief for a quality operator.
“A number of interested parties arranged to view the property, but no firm offers were received by the stipulated bid date of July 1. The property remains on the market and is also listed on the agent’s website. The council continues to receive expressions of interest in the building, the most recent viewing being held on October 14. I have asked the Cabinet member for efficiency and resources (Cllr Ray Dawe) to review the matter and to consider options for the disposal of the building.”
Mr Mayfield, of the Blue Flash Music Trust, said: “We look forward to sitting down with the council and discussing our plans for the Old Town Hall, in the interests of tourism plans based on arts and heritage and for the benefit of local businesses. There is certainly a unique wealth of willing, artistic talent in the local area on which we can all draw. The trust has an unblemished record of successful arts projects in partnership with the council.”
Martin Jeremiah, business consultant for the trust, said: “The trust’s proposal fully meets and enhances the council’s noble ambitions for the East Street quarter.
“The trust is committed to using local produce wherever possible, benefiting local Horsham businesses. In addition, the trust will remain fully committed to the council’s excellent fair trade stance. Finally, the Blue Flash proposal makes a negligible impact on this iconic, historic building in what has been designated by the council to be a sensitive conservation area.”
Cllr David Holmes, leader of the council’s Liberal Democrats, said Cllr Nye’s comments represented “a green light for any community group to come forward with a plan”.
He said: “The council is not going to resist it but will welcome it if it works financially. Previously, community groups would not have considered putting a proposal together because it seemed the council was committed to it becoming a restaurant, but this no longer appears to be the case.
“I would hope that people within the community interested in using the Town Hall would give this opportunity some serious consideration. Hopefully there should be some grants available to address the cost of getting it into shape.
“After that, an organisation would just need to have income that covered the running costs of the building and whatever the council wanted in rent – hopefully not too much!”
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Let’s use it as a co-working space for the Horsham digital community. Brighton has several of these and it’s about time Horsham had something similar.
I agree with Clive. Independent knowledge workers need non-traditional community style office space away from their homes. By joining a community of small independents such as developers, writers, marketers, engineers, makers, designers and independents I feel that we can resolve their basic need for space, but with the added benefit of creating a new workstyle known as coworking, and the old Town Hall would make an interesting and stimulating venue for this.