A big idea that might be just the ticket

A big idea that might be just the ticket
ic SurreyOnline.co.uk - Surrey,England,UK
I ENJOYED the Billy Joel concert - a canter through a catalogue of familiar songs, most of them hits from the 1980s. And I was impressed ...

 I ENJOYED the Billy Joel concert - a canter through a catalogue of familiar songs, most of them hits from the 1980s.

And I was impressed by the energy levels of the band - they were on stage for more than two hours without a break.

But I was even more impressed by the overall arena experience - the sight and sound of 11,000 Germans singing the chorus of Piano Man back to Billy Joel in English is something I will remember for a long time.

We arrived as the 12,500-seat Hamburg arena opened, two hours before the concert -the second of Billy Joel's 2006 European tour.

The concourse that surrounds the arena is wide and airy, and peppered with fast-food franchises.

It has blocks of tables and chairs, similar to those in the food court of a shopping mall, where diners can eat in comfort.

There are also two restaurants, one on the second floor, overlooking the arena, and another below ground, offering a more intimate dining experience with candle-lit tables and an extensive buffet menu.

In the first half-hour, as we ambled around the concourse making mental notes, the fast-food outlets gathered a steady flow of customers and the eating areas began to fill up.

We spent the remaining 90 minutes before the show in the downstairs restaurant.

Should we build something similar in Croydon - a 12,500-seat theatre-in-the-round; a flexible, multi-purpose performance and exhibition space?

Why not? We built the Fairfield concert hall in the early 1960s and a world-class art gallery as part of the Clocktower complex in the early 1990s.

We launched the concert hall with a performance from internationally renowned violinist, Yehudi Menhuin, and the art gallery with a collection by a universally acknowledged creative genius, Pablo Picasso.

Lord Menhuin's fiddle playing and Picasso's artistry drew rave reviews from the national press, reflecting favourably on venues and town alike.

An arena could bring equally positive publicity to a place that is now seen as a rundown suburb where drink-induced violence is the norm.

The Hamburg arena was funded commercially and operates without subsidy, so Croydon tax-payers need not fear being burdened financially.

There is a perceived risk that a Croydon arena would remain dark, because concert promoters would give it a wide berth - but why should they?

It would be less than an hour by public transport from anywhere in Greater London and much of southern England.

It would hold more people than the refurbished Wembley Arena (12,000) or the Royal Albert Hall (5,500) - and have better public transport access than either.

And when it wasn't being used for concerts or sports matches a Croydon arena would seat 1,400 in the central area for a formal event.

That would make it the biggest venue south of Birmingham for an awards dinner, or a company presentation, putting Croydon at the heart of commercial life in the south.

If the Hamburg experience were repeated here, a Croydon arena would play a major role in regenerating the borough's economy. Croydon desperately needs a big idea - an arena might be just the ticket.