Surrey theatre to receive £10m but questions remain for alternative venues
A £10m funding pot has been rubber stamped to rebuild a Surrey theatre which has been shut for more than a year due safety issues. Council bosses also committed to finding an alternative venue while Redhill's Harlequin Theatre remains shut.
The Harlequin Theatre has been closed since 2023 after the discovery of crumbly reinforced autoclave aerated concrete (RAAC). Surveys in December 2024 revealed most of the RAAC in the venue has been identified as critical risk.
Members of Reigate and Banstead Borough Council agreed to allocate up to £10m for the theatre, at an executive meeting on Thursday, January 30. The council also agreed to receive a report in June 2025 on the feasibility of an alternative 200-seater performance venue. This would be around 40 per cent of the capacity of the Harlequin’s nearly 500 seater theatre.
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Richard Biggs, council leader, said: “Whatever we do, we are rebuilding it. It's a rebuilding process that we've got to go through.”
He continually highlighted the council’s commitment to “rebuilding the Harlequin” as well as supporting arts and culture in the borough. It could take between three to five years for the theatre to reopened, but Cllr Biggs emphasised five years is the “worst case scenario”. He told the executive the council should "concentrate on doing things quickly and efficiently”.
Councillors challenged why residents were having to wait five more months for another report [on the alternative venue]. Councollor Andrew Proudfoot said: “We still have no concrete day, theatre size or venue to use now or in the near future. How can we continue to fail our residents by further delaying and uncertainty.”
A huge £10m project, officers said red tape around procurement legislation, insurance, dealing with public money was cited as some of the reasons for the elongated process.
Cllr Biggs said he did not want to “take his eye off the ball”, putting all the council’s efforts into creating an alternative performance space rather than concentrating on reopening the Harlequin. He added a potential alternative theatre could cost around £2.8m to put up and £400k to run every year.
Five option for alternative venues
Five options for an alternative venue are currently on the table and under review by the council. These include: part time use of Regent Hall in Horley Community Centre, or spaces in local schools or colleges, a studio style space in the Rise, and a studio space in the Belfry. Each potential venue is being considered in terms of its financial and operational feasibility for providing an alternative.
Cllr Biggs said: "My personal view is if we can make it bigger, better, stronger and still keep to the timelines…and costs that we're aiming for." He added the council is continuing to look at all options.
The news comes after the Harlequin was added to the Theatre Trust's Theatres at Risk Register. Joshua McTaggart, director of the national body, welcomed the council’s decision. He said: "While the scale of the work means it will be some time before the theatre reopens, this is a hugely positive step in the right direction. We will continue to support the council with both its plans to rebuild the Harlequin and to explore alternative theatre provision in the meantime.”