Harpenden Public Halls sale agreed
St Albans City and District Council has agreed the sale of Harpenden Public Halls to ChristChurch Harpenden (CCH) for use as a permanent building for their church.
CCH is a diverse church with a regular Sunday morning congregation of over 300 people including 120 children and young people.
It currently holds its services on Sundays at a number of venues, using its premises on Vaughan Road for other activities.
Councillor Paul de Kort, the Council’s Leader and Chair of the Strategy and Resources Committee, said:
I am pleased that we have reached this agreement after an open market sale process and will obtain a substantial sum for the benefit of our residents.
The Halls provided Harpenden with a lively entertainment venue for many decades, but it had become clear we needed to replace it with a much more modern facility.
We are proud we did so with the opening of the magnificent Eric Morecambe Centre with its theatre, backstage equipment, function rooms, bars and other assets.
Following the closure of the Halls, we considered several options for the future of the site, including redeveloping it ourselves.
But due to changes in the wider economic climate, we decided to explore the sale of the freehold as that seemed the best way forward.
The sum raised will help reduce the Council’s borrowing as was originally envisaged when we embarked on the project to create new leisure and cultural facilities for the town.
I’m pleased that the sale will see the Public Halls continue to be used as a community building, although that was not one of the sale conditions. I am sure ChristChurch Harpenden will make good use of the building and wish them well with the task of refurbishing it.
Gareth Loh, CCH Senior Minister, said:
We are very thankful for the opportunity this iconic building gives us to be a church at the heart of our community.
Having recently marked our 60th anniversary, we have a vision to be those who truly love Christ, love his church, and love Harpenden.
Lauren Cox, Chair of CCH Trustees, said:
I would like to thank St Albans City and District Council and their property agents, Strutt & Parker, for managing a professional bid process.
On behalf of the Trustees, we are very grateful for the generosity of the CCH church family and friends who have self-funded the purchase of the building.
The sale is conditional on planning permission for change of use and is scheduled to be completed early next year.
CCH hopes to complete the refurbishment of the building along with some repairs in 2026. They will be selling their Vaughan Road premise in due course.
For more information on CCH: www.christchurchharpenden.org.uk
Media Contacts:
For the Council: John McJannet, Principal Communications Officer, 01727 819533, john.mcjannet@stalbans.gov.uk.