The buildings at the bottom of Town Street, on The Green, have been part of the Horsforth Community for many years. The pair of stone Victorian semi-detached properties started life as a gentleman’s house and a vicarage. The buildings have had several uses over the decades. One of them was even a pub for a period of time!
More recently the two buildings were knocked together and became the buildings for the Horsforth Urban District Council. It was only in 1974 when Horsforth Urban District Council was absorbed into the Leeds City Council were the buildings handed over to Leeds City Council for their use.
Number 5 is currently the home of our Village Museum and although Number 3 is currently vacant, the hope is that it won’t be out of use for long.
In 2018 we wrote to everyone in Horsforth to ask if our community would support the Town Council with a proposal to purchase the leasehold of both 3 and 5 The Green together with The Stables building at the rear. The response received back was wonderful and over 95% of the responses were in favour of the Town Council committing to this special project.
The Town Council prepared the following Business Plan.
The process to acquire the buildings took the Town Council longer than initially expected but in May 2022, the transfer of the three properties was completed.
The task was then to ensure that all of the buildings were externally water tight and in good repair before embarking on making significant modifications to the internal layout of Number 3. Number 3 will soon become a brand new community space with a large meeting room on the ground floor. There will be a new kitchen at the rear and new toilet facilities, one of which will be an enhanced accessible w/c. There will be a lift from the ground floor to the first floor which, as well a providing access to the new Town Council offices on the first floor, will also be accessible by The Museum.
Horsforth Town Council has taken out a loan in order to purchase the buildings and complete most of the internal modifications required. Although this will mean that there will be loan repayments to make each 6 months it will mean that the valuable funds we get through the precept each year won’t be eroded and the events that the Town Council already support won't have to be reduced or given up.
The original draft drawings can be found below.
Following the consultations held in 2023 and 2024, the Town Council made some minor changes to the plans for No. 3. In addition, the layout had to be revised after the originally proposed lift became unavailable and the replacement model required more space. Preparations then began for the commencement of works.
The final plans be found below.
The Town Council went to tender in 2023 and the costs of the
renovation had increased significantly, primarily due to the impact of the
COVID-19 pandemic and rising material costs than originally forecasted. But the
Town Council, wanted to ensure the project went ahead and the approved
contractor was appointed at the end of 2023 to carry out the work in phases
(Phase 1 – ground floor and Phase 2 – first floor) with a view to start works
as soon as possible. Planning permission and a License of Alterations
from Leeds City Council were sought at the beginning of 2024 for Phase 1 but these
were not approved until 2025. The Town Council were pleased for the works to
commence in April 2025 and they are planned to complete at the end of August
2025. Updates about the works can be found at the bottom of this page.
A timeline of the project so far can be found below.
Consultations
At the end of 2023 we asked Horsforth residents to provide feedback on proposals for the new facility.
Before proceeding with such a project, the Town Council wanted to consult and involve the local community in future plans. To understand the level of support, and shape what a community facility could include, we wanted to hear your ideas and feedback.
We also devised a survey to share with local community groups and non-profit organisations to gain thoughts on the new facility.
The results of both the residents' and community groups surveys are available to view via the below PDFs:
Community Consultation: Proposed loan
Since the project’s inception, the cost of works has increased significantly, largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic and rising construction and material costs. To ensure the building is fully completed, equipped, and open for community use in 2025, the Town Council is now seeking a Public Works Loan of £200,000, subject to approval by the Secretary of State.
The proposed loan would be repaid over a 40-year period at a fixed interest rate of 6.18%, with annual repayments of £13,508.32, made in two instalments of £6,754.16. To cover this cost, the Town Council proposes a modest increase to the local precept over the next two financial years. Based on 2025/26 estimates, this would mean an increase of £6,754.16 per year in 2026/27 and 2027/28—approximately a 3.8% rise, or an additional 77p per Band D property annually (subject to variation).
With this funding, alongside existing budget allocations and anticipated contributions from City Councillors and the Museum, the Council would be able to complete both Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the development, including the purchase of essential fixtures and fittings.
Additionally, any underspend from the annual premises budget would be placed in a designated reserve to enable early repayments of the loan every 5 to 10 years—helping reduce long-term costs to the community.
We would like to ask if you support the proposal. Let us know by completing the online form or via paper copies available from Horsforth library on Town Street.
*When completing the consultation form, please note that the Name and Address fields are optional. You may choose to remain anonymous if you wish.
Any information you provide through the form will not be automatically stored in a database, and will be used solely for the purposes of this consultation.
This consultation is being conducted to seek residents’ views on the future of No. 3 The Green and on a proposed loan application. The feedback gathered is important in helping Horsforth Town Council make informed decisions on behalf of the community.
We will not use your data for any other purpose, nor will we share or sell your information to third parties.
Personal information submitted as part of this consultation will be anonymised prior to the evaluation of feedback.
For more details on how we handle your data, please read our Privacy Policy.
Response to community questions
The Town Council has received a number of questions regarding the current public consultation, both via email and during the Full Council meeting held on 17th July 2025. In response, we have addressed these queries in the document below.
The Town Council is committed to being transparent, open, and accountable in all its actions and communications, and we welcome ongoing engagement from the community.
If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact the Town Council by email at admin@horsforthtowncouncil.gov.uk.
Please note that staff will be on annual leave from Monday, 21st July 2025, until Monday, 4th August 2025. Any comments or correspondence received during this period will be responded to following the Town Clerk’s return.