HANWELL Community Centre will be under Ealing Council control for at least two years, the authority has agreed.

Ealing Council’s cabinet met on Tuesday night to rubber stamp recommendations which will see it managed in-house from April 1.

The decision to move control of the centre to the council was made after Hanwell Community Centre Limited informed the authority in November last year that it did not wish to go ahead with the new lease as agreed in court.

The council has said that sport, leisure and community use will remain the focus of the site, and there are plans to join forces with community groups to increase use of the centre and its facilities.

Julian Bell, leader of Ealing Council said: “Hanwell Community Centre is a local landmark and a fantastic community asset. We plan on working with the community to look for more ways local people can benefit from the site.”

Ealing Council invested £3.67million between 2009 and 2011 to carry out conservation repairs and refurbishment. The authority also outlined a schedule for the centre with improvements works beginning in June.

Community engagement and stakeholder meetings will start in May and a six-month operational review will be held in October.

Hanwell community group EASE, which works to improve the lives of people living on the Copley Close Estate, will also be moving temporarily to the centre with a hope of staying there.

A report to cabinet says: “A permanent move would be beneficial to all parties as it releases additional land at Copley Close Estate for housing development and saves capital costs.”

Speaking at the meeting, councillor Ranjit Dheer, cabinet leader for community services and safety said: “We’ve been locked in a wasteful battle with the management of the centre for a number of years. This is great news. The fact that we will be running the centre for at least two years means we can carry out some much-needed work, including repairs.”