Councillors and the new operators, BH Live, have been meeting at the Fairfield Halls before the main contractors move in to give it a £30m refurbishment
A year since its closure, and there’s no perceptible signs outside the Fairfield Halls of much in the way of progress in its £30million redevelopment project.
But Timothy Godfrey, the council’s cabinet member for arts and culture, says that, with the interior carefully cleared, the pace of change to refit Croydon’s major arts centre is about to accelerate in the next few months.
Godfrey: residents will be ‘thrilled’
Councillors were taken on guided tours of the building yesterday, while BH Live, who were recently appointed to operate the venue once it re-opens – which is expected to be in late 2018 – have spent a day with their team at the building understanding what tweaks they want to make to their fit out plans in terms of the theatre and concert halls’ technical operation, catering and hospitality operations.
Vinci, the main building contractor, is now on site.
“Vinci are quite happy with the requirements of the refurbishment and new build elements to the timescales that have been set out,” Councillor Godfrey told Inside Croydon.
“The building is a long way through the project already. It’s completely stripped out, all ready for the new finishes, new heating, new electrics, new plumbing, roofing, windows, cladding and so forth to be installed.”
Work is beginning in earnest to re-fit Fairfield Halls
Inside Croydon’s loyal reader has remarked that, when passing the Halls – which include the concert hall, Ashcroft Theatre and Arnhem Gallery – they have not been able to notice any discernible activity on the site.
“I’m pleased residents are keen to see progress,” Godfrey said, “but it’s important not to rush this project and ensure it’s done properly.
“That’s why I’m pleased we’ve chosen to use high-quality contractors throughout the process, from Mott Macdonald to Vinci.
“It’s a £30million refurbishment that I’m sure will thrill residents in only a few months’ time.”
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I wonder what constitutes a “few months”? As everybody knows there has been no visible activity since it closed, not even a lorry or three taking away things, so we wait and see with great anticipation and look forward to next Autumn with not a little trepidation.
I’m sure that after many months and many excuses the residents, myself included, will take great delight in trying to spot where £30 million was spent. Hardboard for the stage that’s gotta be 5 grand. Dulux for the doors- job lot £500, great big sign saying Cultural Quarter £35,000,000. And we’re over budget because of a spike in the Hardboard market…
We’re talking public sector procurement here. Remember the Fisher’s Folly Taps Incident?
https://insidecroydon.com/2014/03/04/tax-payers-get-a-soaking-as-council-taps-run-up-20000-bill/
Yeah but it’s not really ‘your’ money and it’s my aunty shirleys second cousin and he’s just failed his architecture degree and this would really help his self esteem…
Where do I sign?
Possibly overheard at council meetings everywhere…
I’d like to know if they are going to honour their outstanding debts to the small arts companies who performed there right up until their notification of insolvency. I know of one such company who even kicked in extra money to assist with the marketing only to perform and within weeks be told that they will not receive their fee or any money whatsoever as they were now ‘insolvent’. I feel that the theatre might well have known of that issue at the time the company performed and we in fact trading in an insolvent manner.