Office politics: Town Hall to raise cash by renting out Keltan House
Keltan House as it looks today. Photograph: Ella Jessel
One of the Town Hall’s main office buildings could be turned into a bar in order to generate revenue for stretched council coffers.
Keltan House, a large 1960s building that stands next to Netil House on the junction of Mare Street and Westgate Street, is currently used for administration purposes.
But now the asset is to be commercially let to generate income for council services “at a time of continued austerity measures”.
Bar and restaurant chain Barworks, which owns a string of venues across east London including the Electricity Showrooms and the Well and Bucket in Shoreditch, has applied to turn the building into an “all day neighbourhood bar restaurant and café concept”.
The venue will focus on local and artisan producers to provide a “unique and versatile space for the locals of Hackney”.
Proposals for the frontage of the building. Photograph: West Architecture
Mike Harrington, Operations Manager at Barworks told the Hackney Citizen: “We’re looking to create a perfect all in one space, where people can work, meet, enjoy great food, drink and events.
“We’re also looking at housing retail units within the venue providing the people of Hackney with a great source for artisan food, coffee, beer and spirits.
“We’re still in the early planning stages but we’re very excited to be working on this project and to bring something truly unique and valuable to the area.”
Keltan House staff will be relocated to other existing Council sites, such as the Hackney Service Centre on Hillman Street and the Town Hall.
A council spokesman said: “Hackney Council has been reviewing the use of its office buildings to help reduce the costs to the local authority at a time of continued austerity measures.
“Keltan House will be let commercially which will generate much needed income for Council services while providing local employment opportunities, via Ways into Work, for Hackney residents.
This horrid building needs knocking down and replaced by much needed housing perhaps with downstairs retail.
I have visited the building on numerous occasions and pity the staff.
“We’re looking to create a perfect all in one space, where people can work, meet, enjoy great food, drink and events.”
Truly original stuff, as there is clearly none of this around Broadway Market already.
Central government cuts are often targeted and ideological. Services will suffer in a deprived area the tories don’t get votes from. They deliberately want places like Hackney to fail for political capital.
why not turn it into another drug rehab centre, there are half a dozen in the area already and the council has created a precedent in ignoring all the planning laws and the conservation area to create the rehab centre on the other side of mare st. If they spend a £1m on setting it up like this did last time they will be able to get away without consulting the community, because the planning committee will just wave the change of use to clinical straight on through again. Once approved they wont even have to follow any of the planning conditions or even maintain the property properly – once again the precedent has been set. And the more they drive out shops, residents and businesses, the cheaper the social housing units will be. Just like the hackney of old.
half a dozen drug rehab centres? where? and which one has now been set up at £1million expense and without planning consent and where is the evidence that any drug rehab centre has been in breach of planning conditions or allowed to fall into disrepair?
also do you think hackney should cease offering any rehabilitation to people with drug dependencies? would you think hackney would be safer and better if addicts were left untreated?
No I don’t think hackney should cease offering rehab – that is why I suggested keltan be another rehab joint.
I was pretty loose with the drug rehab label – but here are 7 associated ventures within 150-200m of keltan house – the 4-5 units that made up lifeline tudor grove (now wdp) /greenhouse/lifeline mare st (now wdp) /shuttleworth / mungos / daat hq – all of which are within 150m -200m of keltan house all of who deal with addicts and the fall out.
daat spent £1m (according to the director of daat at a public meeting) fitting out mare st 4/5 years ago. Tudor grove/mare st only applied for retroactive planning for d1 2 years after clinical operations began and only then after the council finally enforced the planning rules.
and then have a wander past tudor grove/mare st and see if you spot the most uncared for occupied buildings. Compare the fit-outs with the councils guidance for shopfronts in a conversation area.
And finally ask whether the ongoing community consultation that was part of the d1 planning permission continued after the d1 status was confirmed.