Joy as date is set for Arc to re-open

A popular arts and recreation centre which closed amid a storm of protests has announced it is to re-open.

The Arc, on Weston Drive, Caterham, closed in April last year, and despite hundreds of protestors petitioning to keep the building open, residents feared the facility had been lost for good.

But Dick Moran, chief executive of Caterham Barracks Community Trust, which owns the building, is so convinced the Arc remains viable as a community hub he has put £55,000 of his own money into the venture.

Mr Moran said: "The doors re-open on February 13, and I want as many people as possible to come back to The Arc and see what we have to offer.

"We've had a huge amount of support from the community, who petitioned for the Arc to stay open last year, and used social networking sites to keep the issue alive.

"But now I need people to come and use the Arc again, or it really will be lost forever. This is the last chance to keep it going. My message is back us, use it, or lose it."

The Arc controversially closed 11 months ago after Tandridge Leisure, which had been managing the centre, pulled out saying it could no longer afford to pay the mortgage. The news came as a huge shock, especially to families in the region. At its peak, the centre attracted around 5,000 visitors a month.

The new plans for the Arc, which is undergoing extensive refurbishment and redesign, include a new 200-seater theatre, a children's play area, a café, and spaces for theatre work and art.

Planned improvements will be done piecemeal as funds come in, and the core facility available initially will be the children's play area. Other parts of the building will be worked on as revenue allows. Mr Moran added: "If it all goes pear-shaped this time, we will have no alternative other than to sell the building and cover our debts."

Residents were delighted when news of the centre's re-opening broke. Caterham mother-of-one Rosie Jones, 32, of Tupwood Lane, said: "This is tremendous. We were all so surprised when it closed, it always seemed to be so popular.