Housing could be built behind Stoke Newington Town Hall to help cover maintenance costs

Stoke Newington Town Hall. Photograph: Hackney Citizen

Housing could be built on “under-used” space behind Stoke Newington Town Hall and the adjacent library to help cover some of the costs involved in maintaining the historic buildings, Hackney Council has suggested.

The historic grade II-listed political headquarters of the Metropolitan Borough of Stoke Newington is one of the most significant buildings on Church Street and a reminder of the area’s independence before it was subsumed into the new London Borough of Hackney as part of local government reforms in the 1960s.

It also regularly serves as a wedding venue. Earlier this year a damning report found it was “significantly damaged”, however – despite £8 million having been poured into major restoration works by the council since 2009.

Surveyors identified cracks in walls, damage to the roof, rotting windows, plant growth, blockages and missing bricks.

A public consultation page on Hackney Council’s website states that the council “wants to find out how it can make better use of the historic Stoke Newington Town Hall” and library in order to “ensure that the buildings have a vibrant and sustainable long-term future”.

It adds that the council, which has faced substantial cuts, estimates it will need to spend a further £10 million on additional work to protect the buildings.

Space inside Stoke Newington Town Hall could be used for creative studios or commercial workspaces and offices, the council says, and new housing could be build at the rear of the site.

An overview of the consultation can be found on the council’s website.