Long-Running Victoria Hall Dispute Heads to Tribunal
Appeal by local residents to be considered
The Victoria Hall before its closure in September 2023. Picture: Roger Green
October 27, 2025
The future of Ealing’s Victoria Hall is set to be considered at a Charity Tribunal hearing, following years of legal and community debate over its proposed inclusion in a redevelopment scheme. The hearing on 19 November will examine an appeal brought by two local residents on behalf of the Friends of the Victoria Hall (FoVH), challenging the Charity Commission’s decision to permit Ealing Council to include the Hall in the sale of the wider Town Hall site.
Victoria Hall, located adjacent to Ealing Town Hall, was built in the late 19th century using funds donated by local residents. It has been managed by the Victoria Hall Trust since 1893, with the stated purpose of serving the community and supporting charitable activities. The Hall includes a variety of spaces used for cultural, religious, and support group events.
In 2014, Ealing Council began marketing the Town Hall site for redevelopment, including Victoria Hall, which comprises over 20% of the footprint. A 250-year lease was later granted to a private developer with plans to convert the site into a luxury hotel. According to FoVH, this would result in partial demolition of the Hall and its conversion into ancillary facilities such as spa toilets.
The Council subsequently sought approval from the Charity Commission to revise the governance scheme of the Victoria Hall Trust, enabling the Hall’s inclusion in the redevelopment. FoVH argues that the Council, which has long held a dominant role in the Trust’s administration, acted in its own interests rather than those of the charity’s beneficiaries.
FoVH was formed in 2019 by a coalition of ten local residents’ groups in response to public concern over the Hall’s future. The group has raised over £125,000 to support its legal efforts and previously succeeded in having an earlier version of the Charity Commission’s revised scheme quashed in 2023. The upcoming hearing will consider a subsequent version of the scheme introduced in 2024.
Supporters of FoVH maintain that the Hall should remain a publicly accessible and affordable venue for community use. The group continues to seek donations to cover legal costs, with details available on its website.
The campaign has also been shaped by the contributions of Carolyn Brown, a prominent local activist who passed away earlier this month. Brown played a key role in several community initiatives, including efforts to preserve local libraries and Hanwell Community Centre. Plans are underway to commemorate her with a tree and memorial bench.
Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We’ve always done that and won’t be changing, in fact we’d like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we’d be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you’d like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |