16th Apr 2008

St Clement's Hall - a community success!

A community hall in central York is to be reopened for the community after getting nearly £1m for repairs.

York Greens have welcomed the recent announcement that the bid to repair the historic St Clement's Hall in Nunthorpe Road has been successful.

The St Clement's Hall Preservation Trust is a voluntary group of local residents formed to get the historic building back into community use. It was supported in making the £977,000 bid by the Nunnery Area Residents' Association. The council, too, has played its part, offering logistical support to the group in putting together the bid to the "community assets transfer" fund - government money made available to help get disused buildings owned by local councils back into use.

Green Parliamentary candidate Andy Chase, who lives nearby, has been amongst the many local people who have actively supported the bid. He was also involved in contesting a planning application, eventually rejected by the council's planning committee, to turn the building into housing back in 2002. He said, "The credit for this wonderful news must go to all the local people who supported the bid, and especially those hard-working people in the St Clement's Hall Preservation Trust and the local residents' association who have made this happen. It shows what can be achieved when people work together."

"As a local resident, I'm looking forward to using the hall when it opens in 2009."