The new operator of Greenwich’s historic Borough Hall is applying for permission to host church services.
In January, Eden Group Operations won a licence to host music and stage shows at the Grade II-listed venue.
Now the building’s new owner, the developer Lita Homes, has now applied for retrospective planning permission to use the building as an event space and mixed-use dance studio, with a place of worship on the first floor and a performing arts college on the ground floor.
The venue is already being used on Sunday mornings by the Hillsong Church, which also operates at the Dominion Theatre off Tottenham Court Road and other venues across the country.
The Millennium Performing Arts College is also due to move from its base near Regent’s Park to make the Borough Hall its new home.
“The development will assist in meeting the social infrastructure needs of a church group known as Hillsong Church London and a performing arts college operator known as Millennium Performing Arts College,” the application says. “ It will therefore assist in meeting the needs of London’s diverse communities in a sustainable and accessible town centre location.”
It is also important to note that the proposed place of worship use would only operate on Sunday mornings, which is a very limited timeframe. For much of each week, the site would therefore be available for use as a dance studio/event space.”
Since it started using the space in September, an average of 364 people have been visiting the church each week, planning documents state. A survey of the congregation found that of 225 respondents, 59 came by car, carrying 32 passengers, while 106 came by bus or rail.
The building was part of the town hall for Greenwich until the old borough merged with Woolwich 60 years ago. The offices and old council chamber were sold off in 1973, along with and permission was given last year for 80 flats, but Greenwich Council held onto the Borough Hall as an entertainment venue.
Greenwich Dance moved in during the 1990s, but was told to leave in 2017 as part of plans to turn the Borough Hall into a cultural hub. The organisation closed six years later.
The council’s cultural hub plans failed and in 2020 the building was placed on an “at risk” register by the Theatres Trust. Last year The Greenwich Wire revealed that the Borough Hall had been sold to Lita Homes for £2.4 million. The company has been in talks about turning the building into a hotel, but is allowing Eden to operate it in the meantime.
The change of use plans can be found on the Greenwich Council website.
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