Hertsmere Borough Council has promised it will ensure the impact on the community of a theatre’s temporary closure will be kept to a minimum.

Councillor Harvey Cohen, who is responsible for planning, said the council vowed to do its best to support all the groups that use The Ark Theatre in Thrift Farm Lane in Borehamwood when the theatre closes at the end of the academic year.

He said: “We will do our best to ensure the closure of the Ark Theatre has as little impact on the community as possible.

“Each of the many community groups that use the Ark Theatre will be able to use interim homes in the surrounding area and transport to them when necessary, all without charge."

He added the council was keeping a close eye on developers working on plans for the new Hertswood Academy site in Cowley Hill, where the new Ark Theatre would open before September 2016.

The representative for Brookmeadow said: “We are dissatisfied with the plans for the theatre we’ve seen and will ensure new ones are drawn up.

“The current buildings at Hertswood Academy are not good enough and the Ark Theatre does unfortunately need to be demolished so the school can afford to redevelop.

“However the town deserves a theatre that is as good, if not better than the current Ark Theatre, and the council will do its utmost to make sure one is built.”