Bromley Council has confirmed plans to replace the Churchill Theatre with a fully provisioned replacement, after residents claimed they felt ‘left in the dark’ about the redevelopment.

Plans to update the structure on Bromley High Street were revealed last October, with council documents claiming the 1970s building was at the end of its natural life and ‘beyond economic repair’.

The freehold for the building has since been listed on Rightmove for unconditional offers.

The topic was discussed at a Bromley Council meeting on July 15, when Conservative Councillor Colin Smith, leader of the council, made a statement on the theatre in response to a request from the Labour Group.

Cllr Smith said at the meeting: “There are rumours being spread by unknown third parties of flogging it period, and people aren’t qualifying it with the fact that there has to be not only a theatre, we don’t want a little boutique-y theatre strapped on the end passed off as the real thing.

"If the council releases it, and that’s an if, there must be a fully provisioned theatre that operates to the high standards that the Churchill is so magnificently doing at the moment.”

The council leader added that he would like to see the current community groups that rely on the theatre to remain involved at the site following its redevelopment.

The council had initially intended for the freehold of the building to be moved to the Trafalgar Group, which has been managing the theatre since 2017.

However, the authority revealed in March that it would be opening itself to bids from private developers for the structure.

Cllr Smith said at the meeting: “We have expanded the search. That doesn’t rule Trafalgar out, I very much hope Trafalgar get it.

"But under the duty of care to ensure that we raise as much revenue as possible for the council’s taxpayers, the search is being broadened and we hope to have a final indicative list of bids later this week I believe.”

The council leader said that he would encourage residents to continue to support the theatre by regularly attending performances.

Lib Dem Councillor Julie Ireland noted at the meeting that the Lib Dem Group had started a petition to ensure the site was still used as a theatre following its redevelopment, which received over 5,600 signatures.

Cllr Ireland said: “The thing that we hear most about from people and we get emails all the time, is that they feel they have been left in the dark and to hear your reassurance today that there will be a theatre on that site of the same size and capacity will mean a huge amount to people who have come out and signed in their thousands the petition to save the theatre.”

Council documents from November 2022 estimated that the cost of refurbishing the Churchill Theatre building could surpass £28 million.

The 0.6 acre site listed on Rightmove also hosts Bromley Central library and six shops.

The central library is scheduled to move from the 13 storey building to the former Topshop site on Bromley High Street in a £15.5m project.

Cllr Smith said more details on the plans to sell the freehold of the Churchill Theatre would be revealed at a future executive committee meeting for the council.