Victory Hall

Important: Victory Hall Kitchen is Closed

Chigwell Parish Council regrets to inform all current and prospective hirers and users of Victory Hall that the kitchen facility in the hall is now closed with immediate effect.

This is due, in part, to essential maintenance works. From 21 June 2024, access to the kitchen area, the sinks and all appliances is strictly prohibited.

We cannot provide food storage/preparation, fridge/freezer, boiling water, drinking water, or washing up facilities during this time. On the grounds of Health & Safety, we cannot allow any contingency for these facilities to be provided, or appliances to be used, anywhere else in the hall. Users are advised to bring their own bottled drinking water.

The decision to close the kitchen was approved by the Full Parish Council on 20 June 2024.

There is currently no date set for the kitchen to reopen. Updates will appear on this website in due course.

Victory Hall is now reopened and is available for hire both during the week and at weekends. The current Council's focus is on ensuring the long term viability of Victory Hall in its current form, ensuring it provides a range of services and facilities for the whole community. The Parish Council own the land on which Victory Hall sits as well as the small section of Green Belt behind and intends to robustly protect these in the long term from any development that is not appropriate. Victory Hall may one day be rebuilt on the site it currently occupies but that is not within the current Council's remit or budget.

Documents

Victory Hall Availability Calendar

Terms & Conditions

Booking Form / Fees

Background of Victory Hall

In 1959 a 60 year lease was granted to a charitable body, the Lewis Foundation, to operate Victory Hall as a facility for Chigwell residents. The previous Parish Council chose not renew the lease for the occupiers when it expired in 2019, instead choosing to take possession of the complex. This was done with a view of rebuilding the complex as a large community hub on the Green Belt land behind the Hall.

Planning was refused on the grounds it was inappropriate development in Green Belt and demonstrated no special circumstances. In addition, planners considered that the size of the building proposed by the previous Parish Council would result in it being and incongruous and dominant feature in the landscape, impacting on the long views of the Green Belt. The full copy of the planning decision can be found here.

After planning permission for the development was refused in March 2018, the previous Council continued with the plan of returning it to the Parish rather than extending the lease and took over the management and operation of the Hall in April 2019. The new Council on being elected in May 2021, found that essential safety works due to be carried out by the Parish Council in 2020/21 had not been done and this necessitated the closure of the entire building for some time in the second half of 2021while these works were completed.