Latest news with #TheatresTrust
BBC News
30-04-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Plans to revamp 'historic' Spilsby Sessions House reach milestone
Plans have been submitted to turn a "historic" theatre into a community building celebrating art and approved, the Grade II listed Sessions House, in Spilsby, Lincolnshire, will undergo major repairs and alterations, including improved access and a new café.The former court building was placed on the Theatres Trust's at-risk register in 2015, but the charity that runs it was granted £5m of government levelling up funding in trustee Bruce Knight said: "It feels amazing to have reached this point in the project. It's taken quite some time to do the design and do all the work that's been necessary." The proposal, which has been submitted to East Lindsey District Council, includes a part-change of use, as well as alterations to the existing theatre and community spaces would include the café, a meeting room, offices, a heritage display and an outdoor seating area. Mr Knight said the theatre would be opened up for greater public use by turning it into a multi-purpose facility with a "sustainable future". "We hope we can soon progress to the point of beginning to see the plans becoming a reality," Mr Knight added. An application for listed building consent was also Parikh, director of economic development at the council, said: "This is an important and historic building for Spilsby and a key piece of the vibrant cultural tapestry of East Lindsey. "Subject to approval, the scheme will enhance the heritage asset, support the local economy and generate visitors for the Lincolnshire Wolds."The proposal is open for comment on the East Lindsey Planning Portal. Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
BBC News
04-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Margate Theatre Royal receives £5k grant for plaster works
The UK's second oldest working theatre is to receive a £5,000 grant to fund initial works to repair delicate ceiling Grade II* listed Theatre Royal in Margate has been awarded £5,325 by the Theatres Trust to pay for surveys to ornate plasterwork on the roof of the District Council, which owns the theatre, says £5m has been allocated to refurbish the building which is on the Theatres at Risk theatre is expected to open by the end of 2027, the council says. Bob Porter, the council's director of place, said: "The Theatre Royal is a building with great heritage significance. The council welcomes this grant from Theatres Trust, which means that we can carry out a specialist survey on the incredible plasterwork."It will give us a better understanding of what needs to be done to preserve this unique feature as part of the wider refurbishment project."The Theatre Royal, first built in 1787, closed in building is one of several theatres in the South East on the at risk register including Brighton's Hippodrome, Clair Hall in Haywards Heath, West Sussex and The Harlequin Theatre in Redhill, Theatre Royal is one of 10 theatres nationally to receive the Theatres Trust McTaggart, chief executive of Theatres Trust says: "All the theatres on our Theatres at Risk Register are special buildings that have real potential to bring joy and opportunities to their communities."Theatres Trust is delighted to support Theatre Royal Margate with this project that will help it move a step closer to its ultimate goal."
BBC News
02-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Plan to restore derelict Derby Hippodrome gets cash boost
An £8,750 grant has been awarded to fund the next stage towards restoring a derelict theatre in Derby city Grade II listed former Derby Hippodrome in Green Lane opened in 1914 and was last used as a bingo hall before it shut in Derbyshire Historic Buildings Trust (DHBT) says it is determined to bring the building back to life as an alternative music venue and the grant from the Theatres Trust will be used to fund a condition group's chairman Derek Latham, said it was "another significant step in our journey towards getting this building re-used." DHBT, which hopes to create something similar to the famous Nottingham venue Rock City, has previously acknowledged the project faces as obstacles as the building is privately-owned, in need of urgent repairs and its listed status restricts what changes can be made to it. Mr Latham said the group was "delighted to receive the grant."We can't afford initially to put the whole thing back to where it was in terms of restoration so the question is how can we use it as early as possible in the repair and restoration process?" he said."We have posited the concept of just using the shell: making the shell safe then repairing some of the front of house buildings - and there are three storeys of those - so it can become a venue, possibly even without a roof at first so it is an open-air venue or maybe with just a simple tension [fabric] roof on the top.""This grant enables us to employ architects and a quantity survey to be able to look at the feasibility of that and to come up with defined, very clear solutions, that can practically be achieved so that way we know we can meet regulations... and make it safe for public assembly."Now we have the Becketwell Arena open at the other end of the street, it seems very appropriate to get this smaller venue up, which will fill the gap between the big new venue and the smaller venues that already exist in Derby." The Theatres Trust - the national advisory and advocacy body for theatres - said the Hippodrome was "a rare survival from an early stage in the crossover period when buildings were being constructed for both live theatre and cinema".A spokesperson said the building was substantially damaged in 2008 when repair works by the then-owner resulted in the partial demolition of the trust has awarded the money through its Resilient Theatres: Resilient Communities executive Joshua McTaggart said: "We are thrilled to support 10 of these fantastic theatres with essential strategic projects that will lay the foundations for their revival." A Derby City Council spokesperson said: "Derby's historic buildings are important to our city centre, and we have been working closely with organisations like DHBT and Historic England to tackle owners who let them fall into disrepair."We value their expertise and dedication and will continue to support them in conserving Derby's historic environment."
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'Seismic' planning system reforms to be 'unleashed', government promises
The government has promised to "unleash seismic reforms" to the planning system under major new legislation being published on Tuesday. The Planning and Infrastructure Bill is expected to include wide-ranging changes to help deliver on Labour's promise to build 1.5 million homes and make decisions on 150 major infrastructure projects by the next election in 2029. Reforms include making the planning process easier, giving communities living near new electricity pylons and changing the way developers meet environmental obligations. Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary Angela Rayner said the government would create "the biggest building boom in a generation" by "lifting the bureaucratic burden which has been holding back developments for too long". She added: "The Planning and Infrastructure Bill will unleash seismic reforms to help builders get shovels in the ground quicker to build more homes, and the vital infrastructure we need to improve transport links and make Britain a clean energy superpower to protect billpayers." The bill is expected to include plans to allow more planning applications to be , with council planning committees to be made smaller to "ensure good debate is encouraged". Planning fees will also be allowed to be set by councils to recover their costs, and "meritless" legal challenges to major applications will face a crackdown. A new nature restoration fund will be introduced to allow developers to pay into larger environmental projects instead of funding single-site initiatives. The government is hoping to avoid a repeat of the £100m "bat tunnel" HS2 was required to build. 'Hundreds of pounds off energy bills for some' And for those living near new electricity pylons, they will get up to £250 a year off energy bills for 10 years, as well as community projects such as leisure facilities to encourage communities to host major infrastructure. Other consumers are likely to fund this through higher energy bills, however, the government expects this will only increase bills by a few pence per household when spread across the UK. Read more:Councils to get £68m to build houses on brownfield sites Many of the details have yet to be decided and will have to go to consultation - including how the bill discount scheme will work and which decisions will be made by planning officers, not councillors. One consultation will , such as the Theatres Trust and Sport England, from the list of bodies legally required to be consulted on planning decisions. What will happen to most controversial applications? Consultations will run alongside the legislative process to allow new measures to be implemented quickly once the bill is approved, housing minister Matthew Pennycook said. He also said decisions on "the most significant and controversial" applications would still be made by councillors. The Home Builders Federation welcomed the proposals, with chief executive Neil Jefferson saying they will be "essential to getting more sites up and running". However, the changes to environmental rules could prove contentious. Richard Benwell, CEO of nature coalition Wildlife and Countryside Link, welcomed some of the changes but said more enforcement is needed to "ensure that unsustainable development can never proceed without impunity". He said: "For nature recovery and development to go hand-in-hand, the bill should be strengthened with a guarantee that all planning decisions must be compatible with nature and climate targets, more protection for irreplaceable habitats and nature recovery areas, and new building regulations for biodiversity so that all infrastructure is wilder by design."
Sky News
10-03-2025
- Business
- Sky News
'Seismic' planning system reforms to be 'unleashed', government promises
The government has promised to "unleash seismic reforms" to the planning system under major new legislation being published on Tuesday. The Planning and Infrastructure Bill is expected to include wide-ranging changes to help deliver on Labour's promise to build 1.5 million homes and make decisions on 150 major infrastructure projects by the next election in 2029. Changes include making the planning process easier, giving communities living near new electricity pylons money off their energy bills and changing the way developers meet environmental obligations. Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary Angela Rayner said the government would create "the biggest building boom in a generation" by "lifting the bureaucratic burden which has been holding back developments for too long". She added: "The Planning and Infrastructure Bill will unleash seismic reforms to help builders get shovels in the ground quicker to build more homes, and the vital infrastructure we need to improve transport links and make Britain a clean energy superpower to protect billpayers." The bill is expected to include plans to allow more planning applications to be decided by planning officers instead of elected councillors, with council planning committees to be made smaller to "ensure good debate is encouraged". Planning fees will also be allowed to be set by councils to recover their costs, and "meritless" legal challenges to major applications will face a crackdown. A new nature restoration fund will be introduced to allow developers to pay into larger environmental projects instead of funding single-site initiatives. The government is hoping to avoid a repeat of the £100m "bat tunnel" HS2 was required to build. And for those living near new electricity pylons, they will get up to £250 a year off energy bills for 10 years, as well as community projects such as leisure facilities to encourage communities to host major infrastructure. Other consumers are likely to fund this through higher energy bills, however, the government expects this will only increase bills by a few pence per household when spread across the UK. 3:10 Many of the details have yet to be decided and will have to go to consultation - including how the bill discount scheme will work and which decisions will be made by planning officers, not councillors. One consultation will look at removing some organisations, such as the Theatres Trust and Sport England, from the list of bodies legally required to be consulted on planning decisions. Consultations will run alongside the legislative process to allow new measures to be implemented quickly once the bill is approved, housing minister Matthew Pennycook said. He also said decisions on "the most significant and controversial" applications would still be made by councillors. The Home Builders Federation welcomed the proposals, with chief executive Neil Jefferson saying they will be "essential to getting more sites up and running". However, the changes to environmental rules could prove contentious. Richard Benwell, CEO of nature coalition Wildlife and Countryside Link, welcomed some of the changes but said more enforcement is needed to "ensure that unsustainable development can never proceed without impunity". He said: "For nature recovery and development to go hand-in-hand, the bill should be strengthened with a guarantee that all planning decisions must be compatible with nature and climate targets, more protection for irreplaceable habitats and nature recovery areas, and new building regulations for biodiversity so that all infrastructure is wilder by design."
