Hillingdon Council completes sale of Barra Hall to HRUC
Friday 25 October, 2024: Hillingdon Council has completed the sale of the vacant Barra Hall building in Hayes to Harrow, Richmond, and Uxbridge Colleges (HRUC).
HRUC, one of the largest further education colleges in England, will refurbish the Grade II listed building to create a facility for special educational use for young people over the age of 16, as part of the wider expansion of Uxbridge College.
The sale of this site is a real positive for everyone, by providing essential SEND learning places, raising revenue for the council and saving taxpayers' money
Cllr Jonathan Bianco, Hillingdon Council's Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Corporate Services and Property, said: "We're delighted to be able to safeguard this beautiful building's future and secure its continued use for the community by working in partnership with HRUC.
"It was hugely important to us that the building continues to be an asset for everyone. HRUC will be able to provide additional SEND education places for pupils with severe and moderate learning difficulties and offer more local placements for post 16 students."
CEO of HRUC, Keith Smith, said acquiring the historic building aligned well with the college's mission and was a significant moment for both HRUC and the community.
He said: "HRUC is really proud to be able to work with the building, invest in it and secure its future, very much for the purpose of supporting the local community.
"We think it's such an important opportunity to provide really high-class, high quality provision for the benefit of local people, and we're really proud to be working with Hillingdon Council in making those plans come into play."
The former Manor House building, overlooking Barra Hall Park, was one of the council's previous children's centre sites and had been vacant since February 2024, when the new Hayes Family Hub was completed.
The sale to HRUC was agreed by the Cabinet in July.
