CAMPAIGNERS are furious with handover plans for Weymouth Pavilion which will see the theatre closed all summer.

Despite calls for council chiefs to avoid a lengthy closure, a timetable for the tender process reveals it could be October before the Pavilion can reopen as a community theatre.

Weymouth and Portland Borough Council says the opening will then depend on whether the new operator wants to take it on in winter.

The council made a landmark decision in February to hand the Pavilion over to the community, saving it from demolition. It was welcomed by supporters who believe the venue has a bright future out of council control.

There now begins a tender process to lease the building with criteria supporting community use. A report detailing the process of offering a 10-year lease has been drawn up for management committee approval next Tuesday. The report says the process should be kept ‘as simple as possible so progress can be made quickly.’ The council will continue to operate the Pavilion until May 31, after which it will shut down and staff made redundant.

Phil Say, who wants to take it over and is likely to be frontrunner in the bid, was hoping the process would be swift, allowing him, if he was chosen, to reopen in June in time for the Military and Veterans Festival, and to honour existing bookings.

Mr Say said: “I am furious. This needs to be pushed forward quickly.

“The longer this takes the more money it wastes, the longer the building will be stood empty and the more the community will suffer.

“My fear is the Pavilion will be abandoned and may never open again.”

He added: “Having got unanimous support from councillors it has taken six weeks to produce this report.

“It’s potentially saying the theatre may not open again until spring of next year because the council says it’s acceptable if the successful tenant doesn’t want to take it over for the winter.

“I think a case is still being made for demolition. There would be problems with maintenance, services and vandalism if you shut a building for a year.”

Mr Say criticised the tender evaluation criteria which he claimed didn’t take account of the community effort supporting the Pavilion from user groups and volunteers. He says there should be an opportunity for user groups to have some input in the tender process as they will be working with the new operator.

He believes a decision to abolish the Pavilion Steering Group is detrimental as it severs a link between the theatre and its users – and he raised concerns with permitted uses of the building excluding events such as weddings and exhibitions.

Cathy Page-Nash from the volunteer Friends of the Pavilion said: “The council seems to be making the handover as hard as possible, so much that I think they don’t want us to have it.

“It’s criminal the Pavilion will be closed for such a period.”

Brian Crump, who is planning to stage a 40th anniversary variety show at the Pavilion on October 5, said: “It would be disastrous for a seaside town to be without its theatre in the summer.”

Founder of WOW Youth Musical Theatre Janet Stockley said: “My biggest fear is that when you close something like this there will be problems getting it up and running again.”

Alderman Peter Rendall, said: “What sort of impression does a boarded-up theatre in summer, with security guards and dogs patrolling round, give to people? It’s ludicrous.”

*The management committee meets on Tuesday, April 2 at 9.30am. The venue has been switched from the council offices to the larger Guildhall in St Edmund Street as the council anticipates much interest.

 

Council timetable

THE following timetable drawn up by the borough council is proposed for the tender process:
April  2 – Management Committee decision to proceed
May 1 – Commence tender process. Allow up to eight weeks for submitting of bids including business plans
July 1 – Evaluation and scoring of tenders
July 22 – Award tender, commence lease negotiations
September/October – Finalise lease with tenant, the time taken for this will depend on whether the tenant approves the lease put forward by the council and how much negotiation on the lease wording the tenant wishes to do. It will also depend on the willingness of the tenant to take occupation of the building over the winter period

 

'Complicated issues involved' says council tourism chief

COUNCIL tourism spokesman Ian Bruce said: “I’ve suggested two additional recommendations designed to speed up the process and to allow us to utilise the facility while continuing with negotiations. My own view is that we should be open to anyone who wants to use the Pavilion as long as it can be done without upsetting the process.”
He added: “There are complicated issues to be resolved and we’re trying to have a process which is not open to challenge.”