The new name of Ferneham Hall’s replacement venue in Fareham has been revealed

Ferneham Hall in Osborn Road, Fareham, closed at the end of last year for a £12.35m revamp project, featuring a terrace bar and increased theatre seating.

Along with this, the council decided, should come a new name, and so a consultation was launched for members of the public to decide upon a favourite.

Last night, Fareham Borough Council announced that the venue will be renamed Fareham Live, with the name being a clear front-runner with 1,060 responses.

Other options included naming the centre The Kiln, The Quay or The Tannery.

Following the public consultation, councillors voted through the name at a meeting yesterday evening.

Councillor Sue Bell, executive member for leisure and community, said: ‘I am delighted that we have reached the stage where we have agreed on a name. It is a really exciting development as can be seen by the number of people that took the time to choose their favourite.

‘It was really interesting to me that, given the choice of new and historical names, the majority of people opted for Fareham Live which is a modern name for our new 21st century venue.’

The project was initially given the green light in July 2018, with the Ferneham name living on through a named room inside the building.

The venue’s name will also inspire the names of rooms within the space.

The development will see the 708-seat theatre expanded to 800 seats, with a cafe operating throughout the day on the ground floor, and the terrace bar on the first floor.

It is hoped that Fareham Live will be ready for its first curtain call by 2022.

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