Theatre built in secret at cost of £1.7m must be torn down.

I used to be a member of the Titchfield festival company who have been forced to demolish this theatre. There's no division between me and them but I don't fancy discussing it openly.

I've seen what has been built and it's like a mini National Theatre or RSC with an existing mid-sized front on theatre, a studio theatre, a few dressing rooms and rehearsal rooms, storage and set building space, front of house. And now this larger, kind of apron-stage theatre like Chichester and a complex of corridors, dressing rooms and rehearsal rooms at the back. They also have an actual medieval barn nearby that was renovated into a theatre where they do a Shakespeare season every summer. They also have the capacity to do an outdoor Last Night at the Proms at Titchfield Abbey.

Fareham Borough Council is aware they have this complex and the theatre company argue that building a new theatre within the building they own does not require them to gain planning permission.

But there's been this rivalry going on between the artistic director, Kevin Fraser, and the council for years that's causing this animosity. He particularly doesn't like them redeveloping Fareham Live in the centre of town as a means of putting on amateur theatre there, when the council knows full well there's already a long-established amateur company in the area where plenty of people are participating.

I can't deny the ambition of Kevin Fraser and the company.  The company is certainly getting ambitious with what they put on. A few years ago I think they had one or two musicals a year. This year they've had Nativity, Calamity Jane, and their last show in the new theatre (unless they intend to continue fighting) is Made in Dagenham. Meanwhile they have a youth theatre currently running and they've done Les Mis school edition earlier.  A lot of plays including One Man Two Guvnors, Stepping Out, Wind in the Willows, and they were meant to do Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time in the new theatre. A lot of royalties to pay. They have their own new play season as well as the Shakespeare season in the medieval barn. And a panto with Kevin as the dame

A lot going on. All of varying quality I might add. And it was obvious last year when I last performed in an adaptation of the Henry VI trilogy. Sure the company has a lot of people who can perform but now they're putting on a lot of large cast musicals and plays, there are cast members in multiple productions at once. Rarely had rehearsals with everybody required until the tech run.

Which is why I say Kevin should be focusing on the practicalities before building a new theatre. Especially the parking. There's only enough room for a few spaces at the main complex of theatres. They have permission to use the car park for a garden centre opposite. But the times we rehearsed down there whilst a show was on in the barn, the youth theatre rehearsals were on as well, and the amount of parents waiting for their kids still spilled out down the road. Which I know is a nuisance for the neighbours.

Now Kevin has been asking and asking the council to sell him some nearby lands for parking. But with the rivalry going on that's not getting anywhere. So if say you're rehearsing whilst there's a performance on in one of the theatres, audience members are obviously given priority, and you have to park in the Holiday Inn back up the road and across the main road roundabout. Not ideal during evenings.