A public consultation has launched on proposals to update an historic document that governs how Victoria Hall in Glossop is managed and used.
Victoria Hall was gifted to the town in 1887 by local businessmen Edward Partington and Herbert Rhodes to mark Queen Victoria’s Jubilee and has been at the centre of Glossop’s social and cultural life for nearly 140 years.
The building is held by High Peak Borough Council as a charitable trust and is governed by a Trust Deed dating back to the 19th century. However, the wording of the Deed no longer fully supports how the Hall is used today.
Proposals to amend the Trust Deed aim to safeguard the future of the Hall and support the ongoing work of the Friends of Victoria Hall. Since Derbyshire County Council removed the library from the building in 2018, the Friends have worked closely with the Borough Council to transform the ground floor into a thriving arts and community hub.
The Friends are planning to take on a long lease for the building, a move that would require them to gain charitable status. Updating the Trust Deed to remove outdated requirements – including the obligation for the Hall to house a public library – would bring the document in line with current use and Charity Commission guidance.
The proposed new wording has been developed collaboratively by the Council, the Charitable Trust, the Friends of Victoria Hall, and Glossop Heritage Trust. Full details of the proposals are available on the Council’s website.
Councillor Damien Greenhalgh, Deputy Leader and Executive Councillor for Regeneration, Tourism and Leisure, said:
Victoria Hall has been at the heart of our community for well over a century and we, and the Friends of the Hall, are working closely together to ensure it remains that way for generations to come.
To do that, we do need to change this historic Trust Deed so that it reflects the current and potential activities and events that the Council, the Friends, and the community want to see happening now and in the years ahead.
We’re already investing in the Hall’s future by improving the facilities – work is set to start soon to make the Hall accessible to everyone and double capacity from 60 to 120 people. These physical works, supported by the change to Deed, will secure a fit-for-purpose future for this much-loved and important building.
The consultation is open until Monday 16 February. Residents can share their views by emailing [email protected].
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