The Stage

Fight to the finish

Published Monday 29 June 2009 at 16:50

It was a surprise to read in your June 25 edition in the article, Four sites join theatre ‘at risk’ list (page 3), that the Theatres Trust had categorised the Redgrave as “lost” and had removed it from the “at risk” register after permission had been granted for its demolition.

I would like to reassure your readers that the fight for the Redgrave is not over and that the Theatres Trust has been notified of the situation. It is a complicated scenario. Waverley Borough Council, the owners, voted last autumn to grant listed building consent for the demolition of the Redgrave, but this decision now hangs on full planning permission being granted to developers, Crest Nicholson, to implement their whole development scheme in Farnham. There are several outstanding legal and financial reasons why that decision is being delayed and in time the scheme may very well fall.

The Farnham Theatre Association continues to campaign for the Redgrave and we are actively seeking ways in which it can be returned to the community. We are delighted that another big star has added his name to our list of supporters. Graham Norton has signed a La Cage aux Folles poster for us and this will now be auctioned by John Nicholson’s on Thursday, July 9, at Fernhurst. The auctioneer has generously offered to forgo commission and the FTA can expect the final price to be well into three figures.

While the Redgrave still stands, we continue the fight to save it or see it replaced and we welcome support of this kind for the campaign.

Anne Cooper

Farnham Theatre Association chairman

Nutshell Lane

Farnham

Surrey