Tally Ho Corner is due for redevelopment as a £44million complex featuring restaurants, shops, luxury housing and an arts centre. LAURA BENJAMIN and MATTHEW NIXSON ask what we will be getting for our money

'The new arts centre will be an accessible, inter-cultural arts venue that offers inspiring, innovative and educational work in partnership with local, national and international communities and provides a landmark flagship cultural centre in the heart of the borough.'

So trumpets the rather nebulous 'vision statement' of the Tally Ho arts centre. But before a single brick has been laid, the total cost of the scheme had already risen to £44million from original estimates of around £35million. The arts centre component of the scheme was due to cost £12million and has now risen to £14million.

Arguments have been waged concerning the height of the apartment tower block, the lack of surrounding green space and overdevelopment of the site. But one question has been largely overlooked: what exactly will people be able to see at the arts centre?

In reality, the 400-seater theatre is only rated as mid-scale and can never compete with the West End ,, although it is more than double the 170 seats at existing auditorium at The Bull in Barnet.

Councillor Brian Salinger, one of the scheme's most vociferous critics, said: 'The demand for a centre like this is unproven and it is a leap in the dark.

'If audiences don't come to the centre then the council will have to make up the difference ,, and I am sure borough residents would rather that money was spent on health and education.'

Ambitious plans for the new theatre include more than 57 nights of drama, music, theatre and spoken word each year; 36 nights of comedy; and 20 nights of an in-house produced Christmas pantomime. Adrian Berry, The Bull's education manager, said acts previously unable to visit the borough would now be able to do so. 'We are going to continue the work we do here. There is not going to be a huge change but there will be more space so more of what we do now will appear at the arts centre ,, but on a bigger scale.'

Describing The Bull's current program as 'culturally diverse, high quality and non-commercial', he said the acts on offer would be less commercially well known than performances at Potters Bar's Wyllyotts Centre, which has a similar 420-seater auditorium.

'We won't be having appearances by Abba tribute bands and comedians like Bernard Manning ,, go to the Wyllyotts for that. Instead we will have more physical and interactive dance and theatre like Theatre de Complicity and National Theatre Touring Shows which are the leaders in their field but couldn't previously appear at The Bull because we were too small.'

Younger audiences will be enticed to Tally Ho with club music nights and 28 Asian, indie, dance, pop, rock and club nights with 'top names' promised; 49 concerts and 38 free performances in the foyer and outdoor spaces; regular lunchtime recitals, summer open-air events and ten concerts of new work composed by classical musicians. Education is also a large part of the centre, with collaborations between The Bull, Community Focus and Barnet College.

Christine Vesey, arts centre trustee and assistant principle at Barnet College, said: 'We will be developing the public art projects and performing arts for students. Residents of North Finchley will be able to join in on weekends and during school holidays.'

With the centre due to open in 2002, it risks becoming a political football before it is built. Last week a senior Labour councillor slammed suggestions of deals done in smoke-filled rooms as members debated arts centre funding.

Councillor Helen Gordon spoke of her anger at what she branded a 'malign influence' seeking to make mischief about the multi-million-pound scheme.

'It is distasteful to officers that some kind of deal was struck and arrangements made in smoke-filled rooms,' she said.

Ms Gordon's comments came on Wednesday last week as members of Barnet's policy committee heard an extra £500,000 of council cash was needed on top of around £2.1million already pledged. The extra money is needed for re-routing fibre optic cables around the site, according to council officers. Also, access to a deep water sewer has to be diverted.

Labour councillor Nathaniel Rudolf said it would cost the council more to walk away from the project than proceed. He branded Conservative attitudes to the arts 'degenerate'.

Tory councillor Brian Salinger said: 'We are being asked to pump more and more money into it and I am not prepared to support it.' After the meeting he said he would board the arts centre up rather than put more public money into it ,, if the Tories retook the council.