More cheques could be written for the multi-million pound revamp of Festival Hall with Petersfield Town Council set to pay out nearly £95,000 in fees.

Plans to revamp the venue have been approved by the South Downs National Park Authority but 23 conditions must be met before work can begin.

They range from confirming noise, drainage and surface details to erecting protective fences and providing a full photographic record of the affected areas.

Permission in its current form lasts until October 2027 so architects, Foster Wilson Size, have made PTC and its Festival Hall Committee aware of the work that will need undertaking for conditions to be met.

And that means input from structural and civil engineers and contactors along with design, energy, service, acoustic, planning and arboriculture consultants.

Eight firms have been listed with the requested fees ranging from £34,320 for FWS to £19,891 for energy modelling and £1,400 for tree protection work.

But it could be a price worth paying, as once all the conditions are met then work can finally start on bringing Festival Hall into the 21st century.

While the FH Committee backed the financial request at their May 16 meeting, the decision to rubber stamp the payments will be made by full council.

“We’re going down this route to keep the planning up as long as possible and do the upgrade in a timely manner without having to apply again,” said committee chair, Cllr Steve Dewey, during the Rose Room meeting.

“Yes, there is a cost to it, but I think it’s worth going down this route so we don’t have to reapply or rush during this two-and-a-half year period.”

Plans are also afoot to set up a charity to fundraise for a revamped Festival Hall, with Hugh Bonneville being touted as a possible trustee.