A public meeting will be held on Monday, 18th of August at
7.30 pm at the White Hart Hotel, Lewes where the proposed change of use by the
Lewes Repertory Theatre Community Interest Company (LRT) to the disused
Magistrates Court in Friars Walk will be discussed. LRT's Phoenix Theatre was
destroyed by fire in March of this year.
The application, (SDNP/14/03805/FUL) can be seen and
comments registered on the SDNPA web site (http://www.southdowns.gov.uk/planning
).
Sean O'Kane, director of LRT explained in the Sussex Express
last Friday:
The change of use is classed as “D2” by planners and this
means the building would not be demolished but used for “Assembly and Leisure”.
LRT’s vision is to rehabilitate the present building into a centre for classes,
training, rehearsal, performance and production for the local community and
with the potential to host a wide range of events both from within and outside
Lewes, from concerts to talks to children’s theatre.
The building offers possibilities for a variety of uses that
respond to pressing community needs and LRT would develop the site as a
community hub with its strategic location in the heart of Lewes. LRT has been
approached by a number of established community groups who have said they would
relocate to the building if the application is successful. All have said the
former magistrates court building would be an improvement on their current
premises.
The Old Magistrates Court could accommodate studios,
exhibitions, and host events by voluntary organizations throughout East
Sussex. The site has excellent disabled
access and could have crèche facilities. LRT is currently engaged in
fundraising in order to realize this vision within the community. Should LRT’s
application succeed the next step will be to approach the owners of the
building, the Estates Dept. of the Ministry of Justice.
‘The Old Magistrates Court is solidly built, in excellent
condition and centrally located,” said Sean O’Kane. “It could easily become a
valuable resource centre for our community, and it would be a ridiculous waste
of money, and tantamount to vandalism, to demolish it.”
Apart from eighteen unique theatre productions over the last
ten years, LRT has facilitated a wide range of activities, from ballet school
to a rehearsal and stage development venue for the performing arts (including
New Sussex Opera), to meetings of local societies, to the construction of
effigies for Lewes Bonfire.
