‘Angry’ residents protest council’s decision to sell iconic Victorian building

By Joe Coughlan, Local Democracy Reporter

Residents are “angry” at the council for its decision to sell an iconic Victorian building dating back to the 19th century, saying the authority “hasn’t spent a penny” on maintaining the space in the past decade.

Beckenham Public Hall in Bromley Road, Beckenham, has been listed for sale by estate agents Stiles Harold Williams. The Grade II listed Victorian building dates back to 1883 and is currently owned by Bromley council.

Garnet Frost, 69, said he was “shocked, but not surprised” by the sale. He has lived in Beckenham his entire life and said the building has paid host to a number of theatre and arts groups over the years, as well as antique fairs and wedding receptions.

Mr Frost said” “It was [used for] quite a wide range of things. All they really do there now at the moment, as far as I can make out, is a rather tepid mixture of yoga and pilates.”

The resident said he feels Bromley council is “in denial” about the state of decline the building has seen in recent years.

Mr Frost started a petition in February 2022 to preserve the halls after the council indicated it was planning to sell the space, and has since attracted over 350 signatures online.

He said: “It’s the council’s fault that it needs loads of repairs on it because, for the past 10 years or so, they haven’t spent a penny on annual maintenance.

“They’ve just let it all build up… It’s not that long ago that it was thriving. So it’s as if the council have put the brake on and said, ‘Let’s just dither around a bit because if we put too much effort into it then it might take off, and it’s going to be harder to close down’.”

Council documents from 2021 said that current and future maintenance costs for the space could cost over £1 million.

Rod Reed, 63, has also spent his whole life in Beckenham, and worries that the sale of Beckenham Public Hall may lead to new owners not prioritising the community use of the space.

He said: “It’s a mixture of despair and anger, and how futile this is as a way to manage assets, because really you should make your assets work for you – not just run them into the ground and flog them off.”

Mr Reed said he and Mr Frost hope to put pressure on the council to consult with the public on the decision to sell the property.

The council has also put Community House Bromley and the Civic Centre up for auction. Council documents said that the cost of maintaining the list of properties would be £164m.

Conservative councillor Colin Smith, leader of Bromley council, said at a recent meeting: “This council is scheduled to go bankrupt in four to five years’ time unless we make hard decisions, and hard decisions involve selling buildings when we don’t necessarily want to… It involves making very very tough financial choices.”

Bromley council was contacted for comment, but had not responded at the time of publication.

Pictured top: Rod Reed, 63, and Garnet Frost, 69, shown in front of Beckenham Public Hall (Picture: Joe Coughlan)