PETERSFIELD Society members had a ‘sneak peek’ at ideas for a possible future of the Festival Hall at their annual meeting, writes society trustee Beth Svarovska.

Although not a listed building, the hall and surrounding area is described in the Petersfield Neighbourhood Plan as ‘a key part of the town’ and the town’s Conservation Area Character Appraisal and Management Plan described it as a ‘focal building’ and an ‘important focus of community activity.’

It is owned by Petersfield Town Council which wants to modernise the combined theatre and town hall which was paid for by Petersfield residents and opened in 1936.

The work is likely to be phased, as and when money is available, but it could cost more than £12million; where that money will come from is unclear.

The council has already agreed to spend £500,000 – money it has at hand – to have RIBA Stage 3 plans drawn by architects Foster Wilson Size. But at the moment there isn’t a commitment to undertake any of the phases.

Town councillor John ‘JC’ Crissey is chair of the council’s Public Halls Committee and the Festival Hall working party and was the keynote speaker at the society’s 75th annual general meeting.

At the online virtual meeting open to all members and attended by 33 members of the public, he road-tested his Future of the Festival Hall presentation.

The presentation will be made to other local councillors, and the wider public, when a new phase of public consultation about the hall begins shortly.

Speaking in a personal capacity, Cllr Crissey said: “These are my opinions. I am just one of 12 elected councillors.

“The decisions about the hall will be made by the people of Petersfield through an extensive consultation period in the autumn, and via their elected council members.”

Cllr Crissey said the hall, a Covid-19 vaccination centre, had been a “tremendous asset” during the pandemic.

And he recalled some of the “special memories” of his children taking part in performances there.

He said existing hirers were “cherished,” while acknowledging the use of the hall could be increased as a venue for the arts, when a vision for it is drawn up later this year.

He added: “A dramatic increase in its utilisation by all sections of the Petersfield community including youth is what we’d like to see.

“We want to support our longstanding customers from the arts, NHS and blood donation.

“We could also have an annual film festival, and literature events such as an Edward Thomas Festival in cooperation with the Petersfield Museum.

“There could be many more youth events such as e-sports tournaments, and educational and fundraising opportunities for groups of all kinds.

“It could be a digital hub for the town and new services could be offered, such as it being a wedding venue.

“Joint activities and services with the district and county councils and the national park could be offered and we would want to make sure of its preparedness as a disaster respondent centre.”

But a decade ago the council had been divided in what to do, and Cllr Crissey said at the time he had argued for the hall’s disposal.

He added: “The dilemma the council faced in September 2020 was the building was safe enough but in poor condition.

“The roof leaks, plaster is falling off, there are cracks in the walls, and the IT infrastructure needs to be assessed according to the latest digital needs that are often required of such venues. It is a little tired, to say the least.”

Initial emergency repairs have since been approved that have “stabilised” the building.

But eventually there was unanimous agreement to move forward in a way that maintained scope for a full refurbishment.

This included future pandemic considerations and zero-carbon actions.

Cllr Crissey said: “There was unanimous approval to move to the RIBA 3 stage of planning at a cost of £500,000.

“But we have not approved the funding, or the final scope, for the hall.

“But RIBA 3 gives us scope to apply for different sources of funding, such as lottery funding and private sector fundraising.

“In my view, the master plan for future development should mandate that fundraising and financing objectives have to be met before each phase can be undertaken.

“The cost of any refurbishment should not all fall on the people of Petersfield.

“I’ve been talking to the Petersfield Museum about their successful fundraising, as we need to learn from their professional approach.”

But there are still repairs needed, and each month they are left the cost goes up because of inflation.

Cllr Crissey said: “We need to minimise expensive mid-term repairs, as there’s no point fixing something only to rip it out again shortly afterwards.”

And there is an ambition for the hall to be more environmentally friendly.

“The council decided to aim for EnerPHit Passivhaus building standard in the RIBA 3 planning process to minimise energy demand through use of insulation, air-tightness, triple glazing, heat recovery ventilation and thermal bridge free design.

“It will help to future-proof the building from future legislation and rising fuel costs. Over 60 years that could average 34.9 tonnes of carbon emissions.

“The Festival Hall would be the first building of this size in the country to achieve this aim.

“I am convinced reaching the EnerPHit Passivhaus building standard makes good business and environmental sense on all levels.”

And in the autumn there will be an eight-week RIBA 3 public consultation to gain an even wider range of views than the last public consultation.

Residents are also invited to get involved in the monthly online meetings of the Festival Hall working group and the Public Halls Committee.

Cllr Crissey also urged people to contact their ward councillor with their views and to visit the town council website and Facebook pages for updates.

And he invited anyone with “skills they could bring to the working group” to email him at [email protected]

n Petersfield Society is a voluntary organisation aiming to conserve and enhance the special character of Petersfield and villages in partnership with the community.

It was formed in 1944, and founders included Edward Barsley and Flora Twort, and it holds regular forums on topics of interest in the town.

To join the society, or to volunteer, send an email to [email protected]