Theatre plans move forward

The plan to open a new multi-million-pound theatre in the city centre has moved a step forward.

Worcester City Council has submitted a planning application which would see a new 500-seat performing arts venue open at the former Scala Theatre in Angel Place.

The neighbouring grade II listed Corn Exchange would be used as a foyer for the new theatre.

The council had been forced to redraw plans for the new 500-seat venue because of money woes and has scrapped another key piece of the project to help pay for the centrepiece work.

Several parts of the project have already been ditched, including work to convert the grade II-listed Corn Exchange, next to the Scala Theatre, into a 110-seat venue, as well as plans for a dance studio and rehearsal space.

A statement submitted alongside the planning application admitted that building ‘every element of the aspirational brief’ had become “significantly beyond the budget of the project.”

The current budget, which has spiralled because of the rising cost of construction and materials, is already millions of pounds short and the council is still trying to hunt down potential investors to bridge the gap.

The council needs the green light from ministers to move around £6 million of the £18 million it was given by the government away from other projects and pump it into making sure the Scala work goes ahead.

The city council said it “expects” the government to back its request but, having U-turned on plans to sell the Swan Theatre, admits it would still leave the project as much as £850,000 short.

Last month, city councillors voted to push on with building the new venue despite fears that the ‘true’ cost of the project will not be known until it is built.

A report, which was discussed by the councillors at a meeting in the Guildhall on December 13, said pausing, or even pulling the plug on the project, had become a “matter for more serious consideration.”

You can view the application by visiting the planning section of Worcester City Council’s website. The application number is 22/01095/FUL and consultation ends on January 25.