The Methodist Church has been urged to reconsider the closure of its community housing for students and young professionals in north London.
Chester House will close its doors in August, after more than 60 years of providing affordable and catered accommodation in Muswell Hill.
The Save Chester House Campaign has warned that students will be displaced from the accessible and supportive environment the housing and its staff provide.
Campaigners believe the closure “conflicts with the Methodist values of social justice, hospitality, and practical support for those in need.”
Among the 160 residents are students attending London’s performing arts conservatoires, some of those being under the age of 18.
A petition to keep Chester House open has gained more than 450 signatures.
The Methodist Church has said the closure comes after receiving “legal, tax and regulatory advice confirming that continuing to operate the accommodation was no longer viable.”
‘Stressful and disruptive’
Guy Chester gifted the land to the Methodist Church, because of the “loneliness and desperate shortage of suitable accommodation for young people coming to London to study or take up employment”, according to the accommodation’s website.
A parent of a resident of Chester House told Premier Christian News the closure goes against these values, being “really stressful and disruptive” for the students who will lose the “community spirit” that residents enjoyed with its dining hall and social spaces.
He explained how staff were very understanding of the residents’ additional needs, including anxiety and autism, and how they had “greatly improved” his daughter's social confidence.
“Because it's church owned, up to now I've been telling people you've got this very charitable, very loving situation. I think you've still got that in the house. You’ve got it from the staff, because obviously this closure has nothing to do with the staff. It’s from the Methodist Church Council. They were completely surprised by it,” he said.
Residents were surprised to be informed of the closure, communicated to them two days after the decision was made, being told that Chester House was no longer compatible with the charity’s purposes.
The parent disagrees, writing to Methodist leaders about how Chester House supports young people, creates fellowship, provides hospitality, and furthers the Methodist mission with money going back into the church.
Concerns have also been raised about whether residents under the age of 18, who have moved to study at London’s performing arts institutions, will be able to find alternative accommodation. Whether there will be suitable housing, with the correct licenses, in the area for that number of students was another question.
‘No longer viable’ to operate
The Methodist Connexional Council reportedly made the decision to close Chester House during its meeting on 10th February. Details published on the Church’s website note annual reports and accounts being scrutinised, and the approval of £1.2m to improve the Euston Road building where one of the Wesley Hotels operates. No reference was made to Chester House.
The Chester House website now states it “will be closing at the end of August 2026” and is “no longer accepting bookings”.
A Methodist Church spokesperson told Premier Christian News: “The Connexional Council of the Methodist Church has taken the difficult decision to close the student accommodation at Guy Chester House in north London at the end of the current academic year.
“The Council received legal, tax and regulatory advice confirming that continuing to operate the accommodation was no longer viable. Changes in charity law have increased the regulatory risks associated with running the facility. The Council explored delaying the closure but concluded that this was not advisable.
“Support will be offered to current residents as they make arrangements for alternative accommodation. The Council paid tribute to the dedication of the staff at Guy Chester House. No decision has yet been made regarding the future use of the building.”