Croydon Council has hit back at the boss of Fairfield Halls after he went public with concerns about plans to close the venue for redevelopment.

Council leader Tony Newman said he was "disappointed and surprised" to read comments by Simon Thomsett, the theatre complex's chief executive, who told the Croydon Guardian he feared for the future of the venue.

In an interview published yesterday, Mr Thomsett said he believed Fairfield Halls risked permanently losing its audiences and might struggle to reopen at all if it shuts completely for two years for a £12m revamp.

He said: "You've got to find your audiences again and if you lose the cultural offer for too long, they go find something else to do, they get out of the habit of coming here. 

"I would fear that loss. I think it would be quite a serious loss and difficult to regain."

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Coun Newman said council officers had "held numerous meetings with Mr Thomsett over the practicalities of closing Fairfield", which he said would cost £4.8m less than keeping the Halls running during refurbishment.

The council has also been warned on health and safety grounds against keep the venue open, Coun Newman said.

In a statement issued by the council this morning, he said: "We are disappointed and surprised by the comments made by the chief executive of Fairfield Halls.

"Mr Thomsett and his staff have been at the heart of the redesign process since the beginning and sit on the project board, and we have a professional team comprising architects and arts delivery specialists working on the project.

"Council officials have held numerous meetings with Mr Thomsett over the practicalities of closing Fairfield and we will continue to work closely with him and his staff."

He added: "A full closure is necessary given the £4.8m cost of a phased approach and this council has a responsibility not to waste money.

"The structural nature of the refurbishment work, for example ventilation and electrical infrastructure, which goes to the core of the building, means that from a health and safety point of view, we have been advised against phasing the closure.

"These plans are a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create and develop a fantastic new arts and entertainment venue for Croydon, and build a new college in a revived cultural and educational quarter for the town."

Mr Thomsett yesterday argued keeping parts of the venue open would ultimately cost the council less than closure.

He said: "The start-up costs for something of this scale are considerable and certainly my feeling is they would be likely to exceed any possible savings made on the building costs.

"I believe quite strongly that a phased plan is better. Here is a famous institution that provides an important and well-loved service to the borough and to stop that seems to me to be a loss."

He said he remained "enthusiastic and very supportive" of the redevelopment, on which work is scheduled to begin next spring.

The venue's 1,800-seat concert hall will be fully refurbished under the plans, while the 755-capacity Ashcroft Theatre will be renovated to contain flexible performance and art spaces.

Bars, restaurants, homes and a new Croydon College building will be constructed in the surrounding area.