August 14th 2024.
According to former diplomat Kevin Fraser, the village theatre has become the target of a malicious vendetta. Sadly, the curtains will soon be closing for good, as the £1,700,000 theatre is set to be dismantled. This decision was made after it was discovered that the theatre had been secretly built last year.
From the outside, the Hampshire venue appears to be nothing more than a warehouse or a barn, with its grey brick walls and sheet metal roof. This clever disguise managed to deceive even the Fareham Borough Council, who believed it to be a storage space. It wasn't until someone tipped them off in late 2022 that they became aware of its true purpose.
The real identity of the building is a 465-seat theatre, which boasts of being the largest community theatre in Europe. It also features an underground orchestra pit, capable of accommodating 16 musicians. This new addition to the Titchfield Festival Theatre, called Arden, is much bigger than its other venues, Oak Theatre and Acorn Studio, both housed in a converted barn that conceals it from the road.
Kevin Fraser, the artistic director of the theatre, had always dreamed of expanding beyond their current capacity of 400 audience members. With a program of up to 40 shows per year, he was determined to make it happen. Despite having two previous applications for a 567-seat theatre rejected in 2019, he decided to go ahead and greenlight the construction in August of 2022.
Sadly, it seems that the production of "Made in Dagenham" will be the last show to grace the stage of Arden before it is dismantled. Fraser, who is also a former Foreign Office diplomat, expressed his disappointment, saying, "Titchfield Festival Theatre is an incredibly successful community theatre company, supported by thousands throughout the Borough and wider area. It is the largest community theatre in Europe and the only fully sustainable green theatre in Europe. This is no small achievement, especially with the constant harassment and vindictive vendetta it faces from Fareham Tory councillors."
His disregard for planning rules has finally caught up with him, as his appeal against a November enforcement order was rejected on Monday. As a result, the theatre must be dismantled by October 12, and its equipment, including the stage, lighting, and sound equipment, must be removed. The orchestra pit will also need to be filled in.
The council has deemed the increase in noise and traffic, caused by the 33,000 potential visitors to the 102 performances per year, as unsuitable and unsafe for the outskirts of Fareham's suburbs. Councillor Nick Walker, chair of the planning committee, expressed his disbelief, saying, "It is beyond me how anyone could build a 450-seat theatre without first obtaining planning permission."
However, Fraser sees the council's decision as a grave mistake, saying, "Shakespeare must be turning in his grave." He also added that the other two venues on the theatre site, Oak Theatre and Acorn Studio, will remain unaffected by this decision.
Feeling broken-hearted, Fraser stated, "The country will lose one of its greatest community arts assets." He also clarified, "We had been using the site continually for theatrical use for over 10 years, and this was well known to the councillors. After 10 years of constant use, it is deemed lawful, and any internal works on the same site do not require planning permission, only Building Regulation."
Fraser believes that the theatre has been the target of bully tactics by Conservative councillors who are trying to destroy something that is beneficial to the community. He also pointed out that the council is soon opening their own multi-million pound arts venue, Fareham Live, next month, and sees this as a way to eliminate competition. Fraser stated, "Fareham Borough Council clearly doesn't want competition; they want to negate it. Why can't we have two theatres in Fareham, just like there are 20 theatres on Shaftesbury Avenue in London?"
Despite the setback, Fraser and his team are not giving up. He assured, "We are not going anywhere and will continue to thrive. However, we were constantly pestered and hounded, especially during Christmas, which is why I refer to them as the Grinches and Scrooges."
But, regardless of what Fraser calls them, the council sees this as a victory. Vice chair of the planning committee, Councillor Ian Bastable, stated, "I would like to reassure all of our residents that this council will take action against any development that is carried out without planning permission and is deemed unacceptable in planning terms."
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