PETERSFIELD'S town clerk has called for lessons to be learned following last month's devastating fire at the Festival Hall. And while forensic investigators have yet to find anything suspicious with regard to the cause of the blaze, their investigations continue, and this diagnosis "could change". In the first of what will become regular monthly reports, Neil Hitch outlined "deficiencies" in Petersfield Town Council's contingency plans, before praising staff for their diligence in the wake of the crisis. With the town council setting up temporary office accommodation in the Rose Room, Mr Hitch outlined a variety of conclusions – and urged similar authorities to take heed. "I am unconvinced that the safes in my room are fireproof," he said at Monday night's meeting. "There is a clear need for staff records, payroll records, deeds and minute books to be retained in such an environment to be kept to a minimum. "There is a need to install telephone and computer sockets in the Rose Room and meeting room to cater for such emergencies, and also to provide additional services for our hirers. "There is also a real benefit in officers being able to access computer records from home in times of disaster and inclement weather. "East Hampshire District Council very kindly offered us office and meeting room accommodation at Penns Place that I was pleased not to have to take up, but there needs to be a formal arrangement in place in the event of a disaster to remove any uncertainty surrounding our ability to maintain our functions and serve our community," he added. Mr Hitch echoed the comments felt by many, that the strong walls of the Festival Hall – built in 1936 – prevented damage spreading further throughout the building. "While damage was quite significant, it could have been much worse," Mr Hitch said. "The fire doors in Perkins Slade offices worked incredibly well and contained the bulk of the damage to one side of their offices," he added. "The fact that only one day was lost in business terms is a testament to the incredibly hard work and dedication of the staff involved, as well as councillor Chris Jenner, and I wish to express my grateful thanks to all of them," he said. Mr Jenner, a firefighter himself, returned to the Festival Hall after fighting the fire later on in the evening, beginning the process of drying out the building, while the assistant Festival Hall manager remained on site, working until 5am. With town council officials due to meet insurers yesterday (Thursday), it was hoped that the Festival Hall would re-open in mid-August, yet the tight timescale relies upon "no unforeseen problems being found with the building structure and electrical system". "The first task in the restoration programme is to deal with any potential asbestos, before dealing with the project in a phased way, initially dealing with the Festival Hall and town hall offices, then Perkins Slade offices, and any exterior works," Mr Hitch said.