Photo credit:  Reigate and Banstead Borough Council

Up to £10,000,000 has been earmarked for work to bring the Harlequin Theatre in Redhill back into use. 

The funding was one of several recommendations agreed at Reigate and Banstead Council’s Executive meeting last Thursday.  The Harlequin has been closed since September 2023 when the presence of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) was first discovered in the building.

Works to the theatre could take up to five years to resolve so the Council has been looking at alternative venues for arts and cultural provision in the borough while the Harlequin is inaccessible. A costed feasibility report will look at the provision of a 200 seater Redhill performance venue for use for the next three to five years. 

A temporary grant scheme will be set up to help displaced users with extra costs of using other venues during the prolonged closure of the Harlequin.

Millais School in Horsham.  Photo credit:  West Sussex County Council

Formal proposals to change Millais School in Horsham from a single sex girls’ school to a co-educational school have been published by West Sussex County Council. 

The Council says the school has not filled all its places for the last three years, and there is a shortage of places for boys in the area.  An initial public consultation held last year, showed a slight majority of respondents were in favour of Millais becoming co-educational. 

If the proposed change is approved, Millais would admit boys and girls into Year 7 with effect from September 2026 and each year thereafter.  Refurbishment works would be needed to adapt changing and toilet facilities. 

The statutory consultation period runs until 27th February; those wanting to make further comments should email schoolconsultations@westsussex.gov.uk.

Picture credit: Tandridge District Council.  The planned upgrade for Queens Park in Caterham.

Queens Park in Caterham will undergo almost £1.4 million of improvements to mark its 125th anniversary this year. 

Funded by the Community Infrastructure Levy, Tandridge District Council is delivering the project after seeking feedback from the community.  Planned upgrades include a new accessible playground, a refreshment kiosk, tree planting and improved pathways.  Flood alleviation measures will be integrated to protect nearby residents, and biodiversity initiatives will be introduced to support local wildlife. 

Queens Park is one of the district’s largest parks, spanning approximately 10 hectares.

Photo credit:  Surrey County Council

Surrey County Council will use AI technology to detect potholes to help speed up road repairs across the county. 

Computer vision cameras fitted to dashboards inside highways vehicles will spot and photograph potholes which will then be automatically recorded for repair.  Highways Inspectors will no longer need to step onto the road to manually carry out inspections. 

Potholes that don’t need immediate attention will also be tracked regularly to ensure they are dealt with when needed.  Future enhancements will see other defects such as missing signs and foliage overgrowth also programmed for repair. 

Surrey is the first local authority in the UK to move away from manual inspections and solely use video and AI for this purpose.