A social enterprise company which manages the Bournemouth International Centre on the south coast is set to be announced as the new operator for Croydon’s Fairfield Halls later this week.
Bournemouth International Centre: it’s good, but it’s hardly the South Bank
But for legal reasons the council, which owns the Fairfield Halls arts complex, has withheld the identity of the winning bidder. They will be signing what amounts to a pretty chunky concessions contract, with the new management team retaining the money made from staging shows, plays, conferences and concerts in the Croydon venue.
Industry sources have indicated that Dorset-based BH Live, the operators of nearly 20 halls, arts venues and sports centres along the south coast, is to be revealed on Friday as the winning bidder.
The Woodside councillor, an architect by profession with a busy London practice, is one-quarter of the Gang of Four which controls the Labour council group.
Purley’s Business Improvement District team is holding a Take Notice of Purley photography competition, with categories for all ages, open to “everyone who is passionate about Purley and would like to share the best of the town we live in using photography and art”.
The Crystal Palace Overground Festival is conducting its own version of Britain’s Got Talent this year, with a special tent set aside in Crystal Palace Park on June 17 for local poets and comedians. Applications from budding Pam Ayreses and Mark Steels are being sought now.
CROYDON COMMENTARY: After a week of shambles and chaos in neighbouring borough Sutton, with Carshalton Ponds being drained without any advance warning and with Veolia – who are familiar to Croydon residents after years of lacklustre service – missing bin collections and three-hour queues forming around local DIY shops just to collect the newly required containers, NICK MATTEY, pictured right, defies a council gag to warn of a far greater environmental calamity being created – and all using your money to pay for it
The Place Review Panel is the initiative of Jo Negrini, the council CEO, and honorary fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects. With groups of experts drawn from 22 hand-picked architects and designers, the Place Review Panel is supposed to meet once a month to cast its “independent” eye over various planning applications. It is estimated that the panel could cost the Council Tax-payers of Croydon around £100,000 per year.
The council recruitment ad appeared in the past week for four “development manager” positions, one full-time permanent, one job share “to support an existing job shareholder – hours to be confirmed”, and two fixed-term positions for 12 months.
Wandle Park is to get its own beginners’ running group, meeting outside the park cafe every Thursday evening at 7pm, beginning from April 27.
