Richard Bigg
Appearances
The Planet Reigate Podcast
49: Our report on the big Harlequin meeting and the Morris Men’s group which may not dance to see 100 years… and more
It's important that we find ways of keeping you informed of progress, but also we really need to understand, while we've got this opportunity, what we do going forward and we want your input on that. And that's why that October engagement session has been done. It may be an evening, it may be over a weekend, we're still working on it.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
49: Our report on the big Harlequin meeting and the Morris Men’s group which may not dance to see 100 years… and more
But we want as many people as possible to come and tell us what they feel the future of live theatre arts culture in our borough would be.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
49: Our report on the big Harlequin meeting and the Morris Men’s group which may not dance to see 100 years… and more
I'd urge every member of the public to write to the government and the Arts Council to ask them for funding, because the more funding we can pull together, we know we're going to need money. There is no question. It's going to cost money.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
49: Our report on the big Harlequin meeting and the Morris Men’s group which may not dance to see 100 years… and more
Myself and all the executive have been pushing for the survey. We want to know what we're dealing with and what the cost implications are. I think it's well understood... Sorry. Sorry. We've been pushing for the survey. We obviously haven't got a survey yet. As soon as we've got... Sorry, if you keep in track, I will have to ask you to be quiet, please, while I'm speaking. Please.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
49: Our report on the big Harlequin meeting and the Morris Men’s group which may not dance to see 100 years… and more
What the cost implications are. I think it's well understood that we are not the owners of the theatre and that we lease it from the owners. This has necessitated discussions as to who and how should pay for both surveys and ultimately the work to rectify the issue. The motion that was put forward in July wasn't costed.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
49: Our report on the big Harlequin meeting and the Morris Men’s group which may not dance to see 100 years… and more
And therefore, rather than rejecting the motion, as stated in the papers, I'm proposing that we defer it until we have that information for better and more meaningful discussion about the motion when that information is available. And that will be both the survey and the business case. And I'm therefore recommending that Recommendation 5 on the paper is reworded
The Planet Reigate Podcast
49: Our report on the big Harlequin meeting and the Morris Men’s group which may not dance to see 100 years… and more
to defer the council motion of July 23rd 2024 until the appropriate information is available as set out in paragraphs 24 to 29 of the report.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
49: Our report on the big Harlequin meeting and the Morris Men’s group which may not dance to see 100 years… and more
We actually have an opportunity now to evaluate what we need for the next 40 years and how we provide that. We have more and more groups looking for dance studios, rehearsal space, as well as businesses looking for conference venues. Now seems to me to be the time to discuss how we deliver this. That's why we have the consultation event in October.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
49: Our report on the big Harlequin meeting and the Morris Men’s group which may not dance to see 100 years… and more
We want to provide the best we can for all our residents. It's important all the way through this process that we do everything we can to ensure a long-term future for live theatre and the performing arts, whilst obviously ensuring value for money for all our residents across the borough.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
49: Our report on the big Harlequin meeting and the Morris Men’s group which may not dance to see 100 years… and more
Firstly, they wholly own the theatre. They also have a contractual obligation to the providers of all their events in the theatre. Their part of the contract is to provide a space. To meet that obligation, the cost of their temporary theatre was £2.7 million. Work has started on repairing the roof.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
49: Our report on the big Harlequin meeting and the Morris Men’s group which may not dance to see 100 years… and more
It's a fairly simple roof structure and therefore has made the job easier and they're planning to complete the work sometime nearer the end of 2025. The planned works and upgrade to the Orchard Theatre have been planned for a number of years and had already been budgeted for within the council's budget. The cost of the works to the Orchard Theatre is between £10 and £11 million.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
49: Our report on the big Harlequin meeting and the Morris Men’s group which may not dance to see 100 years… and more
I also understand there's been some comparisons between the library and the theatre. Whilst there was some rack in the library, I understand in a plant room, the construction of the library ceiling is fundamentally different to that required for an auditorium roof, and the cost implications, again, are different.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
49: Our report on the big Harlequin meeting and the Morris Men’s group which may not dance to see 100 years… and more
It's also worth mentioning that Surrey had also budgeted for refurbishment, similar to Dartford, and therefore already had money available within existing agreed budgets.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
49: Our report on the big Harlequin meeting and the Morris Men’s group which may not dance to see 100 years… and more
I will continue to do everything I can to ensure we secure the very best provision for arts and culture, for live theatre, for performers, for musicians and for backstage technicians, not just for the medium term, but long into the future.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
49: Our report on the big Harlequin meeting and the Morris Men’s group which may not dance to see 100 years… and more
I would ask everyone here to take part in that process to form the future and make sure the youth of the future have got lots of opportunities within this borough.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
49: Our report on the big Harlequin meeting and the Morris Men’s group which may not dance to see 100 years… and more
As you know, the pop-up has got to close, and we're not sure exactly when that will be. It's under... different circumstances and unfortunately not able to be discussed at the moment, but I've had with Councillor Michalowski a meeting with the belfry to find what other opportunities we can use when that one closes.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
49: Our report on the big Harlequin meeting and the Morris Men’s group which may not dance to see 100 years… and more
So we have started those discussions and hopefully that gives us some opportunities with the belfry working together.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
49: Our report on the big Harlequin meeting and the Morris Men’s group which may not dance to see 100 years… and more
The medium-term plan will be a plan based on not having access to the theatre and having access to the theatre. We've got to have both of those because at some point in that medium term, but long term, we may well need a much bigger theatre. We may well not need a cinema. We may well need more dance studios, more performance space, more art gallery space. All of those things we may need.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
49: Our report on the big Harlequin meeting and the Morris Men’s group which may not dance to see 100 years… and more
in the future, in the long term. And that's a lot more. But they need to be started, as Councillor Terry asked me earlier, they need to be started at the same time, those conversations, so that we can provide and we can adapt while that medium term's going on. And that's what I expect us to be doing.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
49: Our report on the big Harlequin meeting and the Morris Men’s group which may not dance to see 100 years… and more
As we explained at the beginning, when you don't own the building, it's always more complicated because there's costs involved. If you're living in a rented flat and there's a major problem, you don't go and pay for it. You ask the landlord to pay for it. And those sort of conversations have to go on. So I am going to actually turn to our head of property, Dan Jones.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
49: Our report on the big Harlequin meeting and the Morris Men’s group which may not dance to see 100 years… and more
Thank you. The business that it brings in to Redhill, £618 per £1,000 of ticket sales. So for Redhill, that's £618,000 of business that is potentially affected. What that figure doesn't take into account is the additional business that the rise with the light has brought into Redhill. So it's a little bit of a different balance.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
42: Earlswood’s mass cycle ride and Reigate’s Pub In the Park plans… and more
All right, let's do this, Critical Math. Can you hear me? Can you hear me? Can you hear me? All right, good morning and welcome to Critical Math 3.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
42: Earlswood’s mass cycle ride and Reigate’s Pub In the Park plans… and more
Thank you all for being here on this lovely, sunny Sunday morning. This is going to be amazing. We're going to have a brilliant, brilliant ride together. We are taking over the roads, Critical Math. We are taking over Red Hill this morning. I know all you kids are amazing bike riders, but we need the adults to stay with the kids. So we do ride on open roads, and the other lane will be live.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
42: Earlswood’s mass cycle ride and Reigate’s Pub In the Park plans… and more
The pace of this ride is slow. Please don't think you need any energy drinks or bars. It is a slow five kilometers. We set the pace of the ride by the slowest people. We've got some small kids here, which is amazing. We stay as one group, we don't want cars in the ride at all. Marshals will be managing the junctions for you, managing the traffic.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
42: Earlswood’s mass cycle ride and Reigate’s Pub In the Park plans… and more
We have a guest to start us off, it's Peter Stewart from the Planet Ridegate podcast.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
42: Earlswood’s mass cycle ride and Reigate’s Pub In the Park plans… and more
Yeah, it's brilliant. The atmosphere makes it, Peter, it really does. You just see the joy on people's faces to be able to ride on the road safely as a massive group. And there's music and everyone's ringing their bells and the public are waving. It's just great.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
42: Earlswood’s mass cycle ride and Reigate’s Pub In the Park plans… and more
We went through the middle of town, we turned right at the Belfry roundabout and did a big loop round past the Sun pub in the middle of town so we had all the people looking at us there and we did another lap back round past the station and then we headed south down the A23 and then into Earlswood and did a bit of a lap of Earlswood.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
42: Earlswood’s mass cycle ride and Reigate’s Pub In the Park plans… and more
I can just see delight on people's faces. The really small kids, this would have been their biggest ride they've ever done. And it's an achievement for these really small, only four or five, for them to ride a proper bike ride like this. You could see it in their faces, the joy and the achievement. And for families to be together and to be able to ride on the roads is a real treat, I think.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
42: Earlswood’s mass cycle ride and Reigate’s Pub In the Park plans… and more
It's a great cause. It's brilliant to make it happen. In these times of division and argument that we see in the world, it's great to bring people together and do something that's fun and free and gets people outside moving, being active. Yeah, I'm really, really proud to be involved.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
42: Earlswood’s mass cycle ride and Reigate’s Pub In the Park plans… and more
Yeah, brilliant. So a huge thanks to Earlswood Infant School and the PTA for hosting us, Friends of Earlswood. Also a big thank you to our sponsors, Suez Earlswood Recycling Centre. Big cheers for the Marshall team, please. That's the reason we keep you safe. People have told me already how slick it was.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
46: The second annual CycloCross Reigate, the history of our local heathland … and more
in the community and continues to explore options to provide alternative ways in which opportunities for engagement with the arts can take place.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
46: The second annual CycloCross Reigate, the history of our local heathland … and more
And Mr Wade, I make an offer to you this evening as leader of the council that we diary a regular meeting so that I can update you as Harlequin support group, maybe on a monthly or six weekly basis so that I can keep you fully informed of where we're at and the progress. It will be slow, but we are going to keep working.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
46: The second annual CycloCross Reigate, the history of our local heathland … and more
and I can assure you our support for the arts and culture in this borough is unbounded.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
46: The second annual CycloCross Reigate, the history of our local heathland … and more
We have a meeting with the surveyors at the beginning of August. We will know then the extent. It is very intrusive, the survey that's got to be done. So there's a lot of work to go on. There's a lot of support work goes inside the building to support the structure and everything else. So we will know more probably at our first meeting in four or six weeks time.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
46: The second annual CycloCross Reigate, the history of our local heathland … and more
I will be able to tell you the result of that meeting, but that's just at the beginning of August.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
46: The second annual CycloCross Reigate, the history of our local heathland … and more
I really appreciate and take on board the level of support that our theatre has, and I can assure you it will be properly discussed with the report at the Executive, which is also a public meeting. I know it's in the middle of the summer, but you are more than welcome to come.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
46: The second annual CycloCross Reigate, the history of our local heathland … and more
i think what is important is to let you know our commitment to the arts and culture in this borough is without doubt more now than it has ever been and will continue to be and i want to grow it as leader of this council so i make that commitment tonight that one i can make and we will work as fast as we can with Aviva, with the surveyors, and everything else.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
46: The second annual CycloCross Reigate, the history of our local heathland … and more
So, although the motion won't be debated, I really wanted, Mr Mayor, just to let everybody know our commitment to this tonight, and I wanted to wish everybody...
The Planet Reigate Podcast
46: The second annual CycloCross Reigate, the history of our local heathland … and more
a good summer holiday and I hope that they take full advantage of all our play areas all the way across the borough including the ones that we've recently opened at West Vale Park and taken over so thank you very much for coming tonight I appreciate your concern I appreciate your support and I will continue to meet with Mr Waite to make sure that you're kept fully informed so thank you
The Planet Reigate Podcast
46: The second annual CycloCross Reigate, the history of our local heathland … and more
Since closure, teams from across the council have been working alongside many stakeholders and partners, including undertaking initial surveys to establish the facts and investigate the situation surrounding the rack. these inquiries are still ongoing.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
46: The second annual CycloCross Reigate, the history of our local heathland … and more
However, given the significant levels of RAC and the unique implications and complexities this has for operating an auditorium or theatre, the venue is expected to remain closed for some time. We opened a pop-up space in the Belfry Shopping Centre we have continued to deliver an outdoor summer season and we moved the planned pantomime for 2023 into a big top in the Memorial Park.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
46: The second annual CycloCross Reigate, the history of our local heathland … and more
Our main priority above all is safety to our users and our staff. And for that reason, the closure remains the safest option while all parties continue to work together. I and the council recognise how important the Harlequin is The Council recognises the value of the arts, the role that the Harlequin plays,