FARNHAM Theatre Association has called on the town to unite against the “massive, ill-conceived” Brightwells regeneration scheme after it was given the final go-ahead by councillors last week.

Waverley Borough Council has set an autumn start-date for construction of the mixed-use development south of East Street after an ‘extraordinary’ council meeting saw councillors agree key changes to the council’s development agreement with Crest Nicholson Sainsbury (CNS) on Tuesday, May 24.

However, 14 years after Crest was awarded the contract to build Brightwells, the divisive scheme could still be delayed further should its staunch opponents fulfil threats to take Waverley and its development partner to court.

Farnham Theatre Association (FTA) has long fought for the Redgrave Theatre - paid for largely by public subscription in 1973 but closed by the council in 1999 - to be restored to its intended use rather than be demolished and replaced by a restaurant as Crest proposes.

And on the back of last week’s meeting, FTA chairman Anne Cooper has renewed an appeal for Farnham to rally in support of their beleaguered theatre, as well as vowing to “actively support” those fighting for a smaller, community-led regeneration of the Brightwells area.

Mrs Cooper told The Herald: “Waverley Borough Council Tories have voted en bloc for agreeing changes to the development agreement to award further concessions to Crest Nicholson Sainsbury.

“Having been let down once again by those we have elected to protect our town from over-development, the Farnham Theatre Association will actively support those courageous people in the town who are taking legal advice on a challenge to Waverley’s misguided vote for continuing with the present Crest Nicholson Sainsbury charade.

“The council could have explored alternative development possibilities by re-tendering under the new development contract requirements, including that of a community-led project. If Farnham can unite in stopping this massive, ill-conceived scheme, a better way of resolving the development of East Street/Brightwells can be surely found.”

The Farnham Interest Group - led by planning watchdogs the Farnham Society, the Farnham (Buildings Preservation) Trust and East Street Action - is ‘considering its options’ having threatened a judicial review should councillors award further concessions to Crest.

Farnham Town Council also agreed in April to commit up to £20,000 taxpayers’ cash for independent legal advice ahead of its own potential legal challenge, after a motion received overwhelming support at the annual Farnham electors’ meeting.

And the Farnham Residents Network - the non-political arm of Waverley’s official opposition party - was established ahead of last year’s local elections with a view to delivering a fatal blow to the long-delayed development in the courts.

Legal action is yet to materialise, but in a letter to this week’s Herald, Celia Sandars of campaign group East Street Action accused Waverley of again seeking to bury details of the new Royal Deer junction forming a key part of Brightwells - hinting at the prospect of an injunction prohibiting construction of the wider scheme until the junction is fully modelled.

Mrs Sandars, who donned a mask inscribed with the words ‘gagged’ at last week’s meeting in protest at the council’s refusal to allow public questions, said: “The traffic light timings for the pedestrian crossing at The Royal Deer junction with The Borough, Bear Lane, South Street and East Street are planned to be increased so that traffic coming along The Borough will have to wait at the traffic lights for 82 seconds, nearly three times the wait that is normally acceptable.

“Long queues of traffic will back up through the town centre and increase air pollution levels to a nightmarish level.”

In her letter, published in full on page 15, Mrs Sandars also repeated independent councillor Andy MacLeod’s concerns at last week’s meeting that Crest has been forced to rely on Waverley’s “buddies” at Surrey County Council for funding after failing to attract a private investor for the Brightwells development.

A planning application seeking variations to Crest’s current planning application - including increasing the size of the extension to Brightwells House, the removal of the Gostrey Centre from the development site, updating the landscaping scheme and a revision to the heating strategy - is set to be determined by Waverley’s joint planning committee on June 22.

If uninhibited by legal action, Crest is expected to begin enabling works on the construction site - including building a temporary access bridge over the River Wey to the A31 - in quarter three of 2016.

In theory, this could see Brightwells’ promised 239 new homes, high street shops, restaurants, and multiplex cinema built by the end of 2018.