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Category Archives: BH Live
Council ignored £5m offer to revive Fairfield’s reputation
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Moves to take the management of the troubled arts centre out of the hands of Bournemouth-based BHLive are being resisted by Labour politicians. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Senior officials and the Labour cabinet member in charge of … Continue reading
Posted in 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Borough of Culture 2023, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jo Negrini, Music, Neil Chandler, Oliver Lewis, Paula Murray, Shifa Mustafa, Theatre
Tagged BHLive, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Labour, Neil Chandler, Oliver Lewis, Paula Murray, Phoenix Pianos, Shifa Mustafa, Val Shawcross
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Choir demands compensation over BHLive’s Fairfield shambles
CROYDON IN CRISIS: BHLive, the under-fire operators of the council-owned arts complex, have been accused of costing one of the borough’s top arts groups thousands of pounds because of their poor management of the prestige venue. By our arts correspondent, … Continue reading
Posted in Andrew Pelling, Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Croydon Philharmonic Choir, Fairfield Halls, Music, Oliver Lewis, Theatre, Val Shawcross
Tagged Andrew Pelling, BHLive, Brick by Brick, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon Philharmonic Choir, Fairfield Halls, Labour, Oliver Lewis, Peter Underwood
6 Comments
A night at the comic opera: from sublime to the ridiculous
Box office closed, bar closed, bistro closed and toilets closed… KEN TOWL went along to see what the Fairfield Halls experience is like these days, and with a box seat (pictured left) he managed to last longer than the Mayor … Continue reading
The grand scandal at the centre of Fairfield’s absurd saga
Arts correspondent BELLA BARTOCK solves the mystery of the vanishing grand pianos, and discovers more scandal at the council-owned arts venue The Fairfield Halls, following its shambolic and costly refurbishment, is now an arts centre without an art gallery, with … Continue reading
£67m arts centre – with no art gallery and few performances
EXCLUSIVE: The Fairfield Halls fiasco gets worse by the day, with Bournemouth-based venue operators BHLive staging shows on just 24% of available dates. Croydon is supposed to be London’s ‘Borough of Culture’ in 2023… By STEVEN DOWNES Croydon is London’s … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Arnhem Gallery, Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Borough of Culture 2023, Business, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Hamida Ali, Mayor of London, Neil Chandler, Oliver Lewis, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Sadiq Khan, Talawa Theatre Company, The Wreck, Theatre, Tony Newman
Tagged Alison Butler, Ashcroft Theatre, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor, Oliver Lewis, Sadiq Khan, The Wreck, Tony Newman
7 Comments
Lewis is given another £1.3m to spend on Fairfield Halls
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Somehow, our cash-strapped council has managed to find a spare million to hand to the under-performing operators of the town centre’s arts venue, thanks to the recommendation of a new employee of The Campaign Company. EXCLUSIVE By … Continue reading
Posted in BH Live, Croydon Council, David Evans, Fairfield Halls, Jo Negrini, New Addington South, Oliver Lewis, Purley, Purley Pool, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Sadiq Khan, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross
Tagged BHLive, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jo Negrini, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Oliver Lewis, Purley, Purley Pool, Tony Newman, Val Shawcross
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Croydon 2021: Macarnage, Fairfield fiasco and dropped Bricks
DID WE HAVE NEWS FOR YOU: Summer in south London’s rottenest borough saw simmering scandals over Brick by Brick and the Fairfield Halls fiasco grab national notoriety, and someone at the council finally admitted that the misconceived Westfield scheme was … Continue reading
Posted in "Hammersfield", BH Live, Brick by Brick, Business, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jo Negrini, Neil Chandler, Paul Scott, Planning, Tony Newman, Whitgift Centre
Tagged Brick by Brick, Coulsdon, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Hammersfield, Hammerson, Jo Negrini, Paul Scott, Purley, Tony Newman, Westfield, Whitgift Centre
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BHLive’s business losses hit Fairfield Halls’ arts programme
The lack of activity in and around the Fairfield Halls and the return to the “bad old days” of tired programming dominated by derivative tribute acts and all-star wrestling is all because not enough people in Dorset are paying for … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Business, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls
Tagged BHLive, Bournemouth, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls
6 Comments
‘The damage to the Fairfield Halls reputation is severe’
CROYDON IN CRISIS: While the cash-strapped council remains preoccupied with its finances, the once prestigious arts centre on the other side of Park Lane risks sliding towards cultural oblivion. By our arts correspondent, BELLA BARTOCK There are growing concerns that … Continue reading
Posted in Arnhem Gallery, Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Borough of Culture 2023, Business, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, GLL - Better, Mayor of London, Neil Chandler, Oliver Lewis, Paula Murray, Sadiq Khan, The Wreck, Theatre, Tony Newman
Tagged Ashcroft Theatre, BHLive, Borough of Culture, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Labour, Oliver Lewis, Paula Murray, Sadiq Khan, The Wreck, Tony Newman
13 Comments
Cultural hopes are raised as Talawa and Nick Cave take a bow
Two shows staged at the borough’s major arts centre over the weekend helped to underline how precious the Fairfield Halls should be for Croydon. If only the artistic programme on offer more generally could rise to the local public’s expectations, … Continue reading
Posted in Art, BH Live, Borough of Culture 2023, Fairfield Halls, Music, Talawa Theatre Company, The Wreck
Tagged BHLive, Fairfield Halls, Nick Cave, Talawa Theatre Company, The Wreck
6 Comments
It’s time to put back the Sparks into Croydon’s Fairfield Halls
For £70m, the Fairfield Halls should be offering a lot more for the community, says KEN TOWL If the Fairfield Halls disappoint, and they do, over and over, it is because they have a lot to live up to. Through … Continue reading
The Fairfield Halls Community Choir is seeking a new home
By VERONA CHARD Prior to Lockdown, I ran the Fairfield Halls Community Choir “plus sessions”, I had created for toddlers and babies called “Donkey Dots For Tots”, plus a monthly musical balloon band prom for families. But I’ve been told … Continue reading
Posted in Art, BH Live, Fairfield Halls, Music
Tagged BHLive, Fairfield Halls, Fairfield Halls Community Choir
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Millions of questions for BHLive over Fairfield grant aid
CROYDON IN CRISIS: It’s like nothing has ever changed at the borough’s prestigious arts centre, where tribute acts still dominate its sparse programme, while the venue operators are staying schtum about how they’re spending public money. By our arts correspondent, … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Borough of Culture 2023, Brick by Brick, Business, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, London Mozart Players, Neil Chandler, The Wreck
Tagged Arts Council England, Ashcroft Theatre, BHLive, Brick by Brick, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Labour, The Wreck
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Fairfield Halls’ £70m fiasco: ‘BxB didn’t know what it was doing’
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Trade newspaper The Stage has described the five-year saga of the Fairfield Halls refurbishment as a ‘catastrophic mess’ and a ‘£70m fiasco’. Now, the centre’s former artistic director has broken his silence over the bungling of Brick … Continue reading
Posted in Arnhem Gallery, Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Borough of Culture 2023, Fairfield Halls, Neil Chandler, Oliver Lewis, Sadiq Khan, Tony Newman
Tagged BHLive, Croydon, Croydon Council, Dame Judi Dench, Fairfield Halls, Neil Chandler, Oliver Lewis, Sadiq Khan, The Stage, Tony Newman
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Council paid £1m compensation for unfinished Fairfield Halls
EXCLUSIVE: A year-long investigation has uncovered multi-million-pound payments by the council on its arts centre, largely because of the bungled refurbishment managed by Brick by Brick. And it is now suggested some payments may have been unlawful. By STEVEN DOWNES … Continue reading
£30m Fairfield Halls project never went to competitive tender
EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Brick by Brick’s management of the refurbishment of the Halls has been subject to disputes with at least two leading contractors £3m grant to build an art gallery was diverted to pay for other work – … Continue reading
Posted in Alison Butler, Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Brick by Brick, Business, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Simon Hall, Tony Newman
Tagged Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Colm Lacey, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mott MacDonald, Simon Hall, Tony Newman, Vinci Construction UK Ltd
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Directors Murray and Cheesbrough start exodus from council
CROYDON IN CRISIS: The director of planning and the borough’s culture chief are to leave Fisher’s Folly – the first top-level departures since the council issued its Section 114 notice. By STEVEN DOWNES Heather Cheesbrough, Croydon’s director of planning, and … Continue reading
Posted in Art, BH Live, Borough of Culture 2023, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Heather Cheesbrough, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Paula Murray, Planning, Section 114 notice, Shifa Mustafa
Tagged Brick by Brick, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Heather Cheesbrough, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, London Borough of Croydon, Paula Murray, Planning
18 Comments
Arts Council refuses to investigate job losses at Fairfield Halls
Arts correspondent BELLA BARTOCK on the mounting scandal at the council-owned arts venue, where fears grow that it might never reopen The Arts Council has told Inside Croydon that they are powerless to intervene after BHLive, the social enterprise appointed … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Fairfield Halls, Theatre
Tagged Arts Council, BHLive, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Labour
7 Comments
BHLive laid off Halls staff just days after receiving £2.5m grant
EXCLUSIVE: Our arts correspondent, BELLA BARTOCK, on the mounting scandal surrounding the operating company in charge of the Fairfield Halls Within days of being awarded a £2.5million government grant intended to help the arts venues that they operate through the … Continue reading
Posted in Art, BH Live, Fairfield Halls
Tagged BHLive, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls
4 Comments
Fairfield Halls operators get £2.5m Arts Council covid grant
BELLA BARTOCK, our socially distanced arts correspondent, on a mystery surrounding a massive government recovery grant BHLive, the operator who runs the Fairfield Halls on behalf of Croydon Council, has received a £2.5million grant under the government’s Culture Recovery Fund … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Fairfield Halls, Theatre
Tagged BHLive, Chris Symons, Fairfield Halls
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5 Croydon arts groups win covid grants, but not Fairfield Halls
The government and Arts Council England yesterday handed out £257million to 1,385 arts and cultural venues and companies around the country. Five of the recipients are based in Croydon. But not a penny of the Cultural Recovery Fund has been … Continue reading
Culture is worth £5.5bn to London economy, says Arts Council
The impact on the local economy of the continuing closure of the Fairfield Halls is hinted at in a report published today by Arts Council England which reckons that arts and culture contributed £5.5billion to London in 2018, supporting 67,075 … Continue reading
BHLive starts redundancy process for staff at Fairfield Halls
There have been unconfirmed reports that BHLive, the Bournemouth-based operators in charge of running the council-owned Fairfield Halls, have this week begun making their full-time employees in Croydon redundant. According to BHLive insiders, the move could see the Fairfield Halls … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Oliver Lewis
Tagged BHLive, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Oliver Lewis
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Virus sees council turn Fairfield into a £43m rehearsal space
Our arts correspondent, BELLA BARTOCK, reports on how the council has belatedly come up with a handful of measures to see the Fairfield Halls at least partially come out of its covid-induced ‘hibernation’ A month after the venue management laid … Continue reading
Fears grow at Fairfield Halls over operator’s unsigned lease
The Fairfield Halls may be in “hibernation” until next year because of coronavirus, but Croydon Council is now facing another crisis over its ill-fated £43million refurbishment project, with growing fears that the company appointed to manage the arts complex could … Continue reading
