The rebuilding process to return Battersea Arts Centre to its former glory took a giant step forward as news emerged a planning application is in the pipeline with a view to completing the work in 2018.

Seven months to the day the 120-year-old arts centre Grand Hall burned through the night, leaving just a hollowed out smouldering shell.

Since that fateful night, following painstaking salvage work, and support from neighbouring businesses, fellow theatres and donations from across the world, the Lavender Hill venue's management has said it is preparing to submit a planning application and formally begin the rebuilding process.

When the March 13 fire broke out the centre's £13.2m regeneration project, first begun in 2006, had been just months from completion.

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Salvage work has been done to save bricks and tiles that can be used in the rebuild

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Complicated supports have been erected to prevent the gables (above and below) from collapsing

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Box office manager Phillip Payne, who lives nearby, was enjoying a day off when the news came through.

He said: "I was at home mopping the kitchen floor when I got a text from a former colleague who used to work here.

"I then got another text from a person who used to work here asking if everyone was alright and realised this must be big.

"I went on twitter and it was everywhere.

"That was it, I put on my shoes and rushed out and up the hill.

"Lots of people were already there, neighbours, artist and we just stood there in shock.

"It burned through the night and smouldered for days afterwards."

Staff set up in estate agents Currell Residential across the road and were there calling ticket holders for that evening's shows telling them the bad news.

Mr Payne added: "I welled up with pride, then rolled up my sleeves and began helping out."

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The melted fire alarm

This attitude was to be seen from not just staff, but the surrounding community in the days to come. People worked through the night, and were then given free refreshments from nearby Cafe Parissiene, and only 24 hours after the fire broken out productions of Friction and Lorraine and Alan played in other parts of the former town hall.

Maddie Wilson, assistant to the artistic directors office, said: "Bizarrely it was one of the most positive weeks. My main job for weeks afterwards was going through all the messages of support."

She described how staff set up camp in a room in another part of the theatre complex which became called the Phoenix Room and had these messages printed out and stuck on the walls.

While shows continue to run in smaller rooms such as the Council Chambers, important work had to be carried out to secure and make safe the devastated hall.

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Phillip Payne and Maddie Wilson surrounded by the wreckage

Company Deconstruct UK provided a solution to protecting the exposed gable ends, at a cost to themselves, and hours of work was carried out clearing debris and bagging and filing materials such as tiles from the floor mosaics to preserve.

Haworth Tompkins Architects had been brought in to carry out the regeneration project and have continued their work putting together plans for the rebuild, which will look to incorporate many of the original Grade II features.

Imogen Long, the project lead, explained that a major difference to the new plan is the roof space, where they hope to create a timber lattice, keeping the natural curvature of the roof, but allowing better access to the roof area. They also hope to open up the side galleries to make the space more flexible.

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Imogen Long shows off the plans and a scale model to artists and former users

About 80 per cent of the Robert Hope-Jones organ, believed to be the largest and most complete of its kind in the UK, was off site being restored, but the console and some of the unique parts were still in place and have been completely destroyed. As part of the rebuild Ms Long said the company was looking at placing the instrument at the opposite end of the hall.

Consultation with artists who used the space, as well as with interested parties and conservation groups such as Historic England is under way, and it is hoped a planning application can be submitted by December with a view to completing work in 2018.

Mr Payne said: "It was heartbreaking, but it now just becomes part of the history of the building and even an opportunity to start a new chapter in the arts centre's story."