News

London's Barbican Centre is in need of more than £450m for essential works, the City of London Corporation has said.

The BBC reports that so far £25m has been committed to repair the arts centre. 

A consultant commissioned by the city of London Corporation found that an additional £30m, on top of the £25m already committed, is needed to support "urgent" work, with the full cost of repairs coming to £451m.

Surveys on the works are expected by the spring, which will then inform a full business case.
 
Claire Spencer, Chief Executive said it would be not possible to run the Barbican as an arts centre without further funding.

Manchester City Council's licensing committee has received objections to the planned opening of the 23,500-seat Co-Op Live arena in April from another local venue and the Music Venue Trust (MVT).

ASM Global, which operates the rival 21,000-capacity AO Arena, currently the UK's largest indoor venue, objected to Co-op Live's license citing "public safety" reasons.

The firm argued Co-op Live should close by midnight and not be given permission to open 24/7 on 25 occasions every year as requested.

During the hearing at Manchester Town Hall, Mark Donnelly, the COO of Co-Op Live's developer, responded:

"We are quite disappointed to see [ASM] trying to put conditions on us when they operate with an unrestricted licence.

"We feel these are competition-based. We feel there's very little from a licensing point of view."

Mr Donnelly also criticised MVT's objection, claiming that it had arisen because Co-op Live "declined" to sign up to MVT's £1-per-ticket levy, which funds its "pipeline investment fund" for grassroots venues.

Niall Forde, Licensing Advisor for MVT, said the claims were "inflammatory" and "entirely false".

He said MVT had supported the opening of the "23,500-seat auditorium bowl" but was concerned that allowing the venue's "ancillary spaces" to stay open later would impact neighbouring residents and businesses. Co-op Live would take trade off smaller venues, he added.

Previous objections to Co-Op Live from Greater Manchester Police, council trading standards, seven councillors and three residents were withdrawn after revisions were made by the organisation.

However, there is still opposition from ASM, MVT, 32 residents, two councillors and the council's public health team.

The licensing hearing continues.

Emergency roof repairs were carried out across four galleries at the British Museum last week following an "endless series of leaks", according to a report in Arts Newspaper.

The action was taken in galleries containing Greek, Cypriot and Japanese artworks, where buckets were being used to catch drips and extra heaters to reduce humidity levels.

In a speech last year, museum Chair George Osborne acknowledged issues with the museum's fabric: "For decades, it has been patched up in a piecemeal way and by closing galleries when the rain comes in."

Plans to upgrade the entire building, starting with galleries on the ground floor, are in place. However, progress was impacted by the resignation of director Hartwig Fischer following the revelation last year that over 2,000 artefacts had been lost, stolen or damaged over a 19-year period.

Last December, the British Museum signed a 10-year partnership with oil giant BP to fund a significant redevelopment of its Bloomsbury premises in a move that environmental groups have heavily criticised.

The museum said the £50m from BP will help it deliver its master plan and ensure millions of visitors can "continue to access the collection for generations to come".

In a statement to Arts Newspaper, a museum spokesperson said: "We have been open about the fact it is in need of full-scale renovation." They added that the museum's master plan represents "one of the most significant cultural redevelopment projects undertaken anywhere in the world."

The owner and operator of the Dominion Theatre in London's West End has purchased the Grade-II listed building's freehold with the support of a "multi-million-pound" loan from Lloyds Bank.

Nederlander Theatres, which also owns and operates the Aldwych Theatre and co-owns the Adelphi Theatre, said the acquisition of the freehold was the "culmination of a decades-long effort" by the family-run business to invest in and restore the art deco Tottenham Court Road theatre.

Jerry Katzman, CEO of the Dominion Theatre, said: “Our landlords were very understanding and have supported our efforts to invest in the Dominion, but owning it outright means we can continue to invest and operate in the way that will create the very best shows and experiences for our visitors. 
 
“The Nederlander family has been in the theatre business continuously since 1912. It’s their passion to keep theatres in the industry and restore them to their iconic magnificent grandeur. We now have the base to press on with that ambition, and the Dominion’s ready to deliver unmissable shows for generations to come.” 

“London’s West End is a huge draw for culture vultures from not just the UK, but across the whole world. The Dominion is at the heart of that, and the purchase helps protect a vital cultural asset in London," added Delcan Mulcahy, Technology, Media, and Telecoms sector head – mid-corporate at Lloyds Bank.

“The team behind the theatre have a clear vision, and owning the freehold has been a major strategic objective for decades. We’re proud to have helped the Dominion achieve that, and we remain by the side of creative businesses across London to dream big and be ambitious."
 

A £4.7m extension to Nuneaton Museum has been paused after a council review of capital projects said the expenditure in the 2019-2020 business plan had not accounted for soaring interest rates and costs.

As a result, the project to add a double glass extension on either side of the building has been put on hold indefinitely.

However, the museum will still get a new lift and a steel bridge over the River Anker to improve access for visitors.