South London residents are “angry” at the local 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 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.
The local said he has lived in Beckenham his entire life, and that 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 told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “It was 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.
Mr Reed told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “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 also said there had been “chronic problems” with the booking system for the space in recent years, making it more difficult for people to make use of the facilities.
The local said he feels residents aren’t yet aware of the sale, given the closed appearance of the building.
He said: “If the doors were open with some nice welcome banners, sort out a nice little café in there, the whole thing would take off… You could fill that five or six times over if you made proper use of social media and advertising.”
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.
Alternatively, the local said he would ideally like the council to repair the issues with the building and appoint a marketing officer to advertise the opportunities for the space.
He said: “That would be my preferred option. If you can get a good bidder who could take on this vast repair bill then obviously that would be a positive. But would that come at a price and a lot of the community would then be excluded?”
Lib Dem Councillor Will Connolly, representing the Beckenham Town and Copers Cope ward, told the LDRS: “Beckenham Public Halls is a popular and iconic Grade II listed Victorian building.
"The Halls is popular to clubs and groups and has been part of the community for 150 years.
"I am disappointed that Conservative-run Bromley Council have let the Halls fall into its current state due to underinvestment, and have now put the Halls up for sale.
"Alongside Beckenham residents, I am outraged.”
The decision to put a number of council-owned buildings up for auction was agreed at a Bromley Council meeting last December, including Beckenham Public Hall, Community House Bromley and the Civic Centre.
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 the 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.
"That’s why we’re here tonight and that’s why it’s on the paper.”
Bromley Council was contacted for comment, but had not responded at the time of publication.
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Picture 1: Beckenham Public Hall, as shown on Bromley Road. Permission for use by all LDRS partners. Credit: Joe Coughlan
Picture 2: Rod Reed, 63, and Garnet Frost, 69, shown with a banner aimed at preserving Beckenham Public Hall. Permission for use by all LDRS partners. Credit: Joe Coughlan
Picture 3: Rod Reed, 63, and Garnet Frost, 69, shown in front of Beckenham Public Hall. Permission for use by all LDRS partners. Credit: Joe Coughlan
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