If You Tolerate This Then Everything Must Go

There was an interesting article in the Medway News today about the ongoing saga of the Theatre Royal. It was put up for auction last week, and nobody wanted it. Why? Well, you'd think the fact that it had been bought for £380,000, strip mined (i.e anything of value sold for salvage) and then demolished except for the listed facade would put potential buyers off from paying the same price at auction. It probably did, but what really put them off was the last minute repair enforcement notice that Medway Council slapped on the building. The auctioneers were legally obliged to inform any potential bidders of this, and duly did so.

Medway Council is now blaming the owners for not making the repairs that they have suddenly decided are required. This is the same council that previously ignored advice to just put some kind of roof on the theatre to simply save it from falling into disrepair.

The Medway News article states that the owner of the theatre is unknown. Received wisdom is that the theatre is owned by a company called Chatham Housing, whose registered address recently received a publicly funded lick of paint in what I'm sure can only be a coincidence, but it does go to show how a little can go a long way on Desolation Row.

On what day of the year will the theatre mysteriously burn down, one wonders? After all, it would make a convenient spot for a car park or an ugly block of flats.

Today, the Theatre Royal. Tomorrow, Aveling and Porter. The day after that, Sun Pier.

I'll be attending the second Chatham Future Forum meeting on Monday on behalf of Medway Eyes. I may rant.