MORE than 1,300 people have signed a petition supporting a musical theatre society which could be evicted from its base by its council landlord.

Caldicot Musical Theatre Society has been given notice to quit the Castlegate Business Park by landlords Monmouthshire County Council.

The group says if it did stay it would face its £12,000-a-year rent and service charge being trebled.

The society, which has some 70 members aged between six and 70, has also been backed by Caldicot Town Council, who are writing to the county council asking for round the table talks and a re-think on the eviction.

Around 40 members of the society attended a meeting of the town council last Wednesday (July 31).

The county council says it acknowledges the work of the society in the town, but that its presence in a business park is “not compatible”.

Society chair Jo Postle said that they received a call on May 7 telling them their lease would not be renewed when it expired on July 7.

The county council then extended that until the end of the year.

“We were hoping the council would look at us and think that’s a really good community service, we are going to leave them there and reduce their rent, but that is not the case, they have actually given us notice.

“From a business perspective I get it, but from a community perspective, from the perspective of the group and the people who use it, it’s heart-breaking.”

The society, which has existed for 85 years, signed a two-year lease on units in the former Mitel building in 2017.

Mrs Postle added: “What we’ve done is create a dedicated theatre performance space and conferencing space which seats up to 120 people.

“It’s used by lots of other community groups and the NHS and there are a lot of well-being classes.

“We have spent over £35,000 through grants and through funding and the town council has been really supportive. 

“If we could stay there great – we are talking 6,000 sq ft of installation, costume storage, changing, props and set storage. The thought of ripping that out and starting afresh somewhere else is daunting. 

“It’s a crying shame MCC do not appreciate what we are doing, although we are told they do.

“We’ve been told that to stay there we would have to pay a commercial rent, which would take our rent and service charge to £36,000 which is not feasible.”

Town councillor Wyndham Conniff said: “You have made a valuable contribution to Caldicot for a long period of time.

“It’s cultural, it’s educational, it’s engagement, it is a whole range of things that are necessary for our community.”

It was also suggested that the planned £6m re-fit of Caldicot Leisure Centre could include space for use by the group.

County councillor Jo Watkins said no mention was made of evicting the group in meetings where the acquisition of the business park was discussed.

She said: “The one thing they absolutely did not say in any of those meetings was that a community group was going to be evicted and if it had been said at any point, we would have said no way.

“That is not appropriate at all.”

Newport East MP Jessica Morden was due to visit the group last night (Tuesday) during rehearsals for a fund-raising show for Ilana Pleas, one of the society’s members who hopes to attend a specialist stage school in Bristol.

The show, called What I Did for Love, will feature young members of the society and takes place at Castlegate on Sunday, August 18, at 7pm.

A Monmouthshire County Council spo- kesperson said: “We acknowledge the work of the Caldicot Musical Theatre Society (CMTS) and the contribution they make to the town and the surrounding area.

“When we acquired Castlegate, we always intended to honour the agreement that CMTS had in place with the previous owners of a fixed, two-year tenancy which expired earlier this month.

“Indeed, when we contacted the group in May, we agreed a short -term renewal and that has subsequently been extended until the end of December this year to create the necessary time to find a new home.

“Castlegate is a highly successful commercial business park, not a recreation or theatre space and it’s pretty clear that these uses are not compatible in the medium term.

“We have to be fair and consistent with all tenants.

“Castlegate provides great value for money for a commercial business, but it will always be too expensive for a community group, no matter how well run it is.

“We have offered to help CMTS transition to another location and look forward to receiving further information as regards how we can assist them, and have also made CMTS aware of the fantastic facilities within the new Caldicot Comprehensive School which contains a theatre area and sits at the heart of the local community,” they added.

“Castlegate is a commercial premises which was acquired by Monmouthshire to generate a net revenue stream and provide economic development opportunities.

“We are working with our managing agents to improve the existing internal layout to provide modern office accommodation and flexible working spaces, so that it can provide even more employment opportunities for local people in the years ahead.”

The petition is available to sign at the website www.change.org

To date, more than 1,300 signatures have been amassed in around a week.