Regeneration

Herefordshire Council has agreed to invest £8m of capital funding for the complete refurbishment of Hereford Museum and Art Gallery. 

A further £500,000 will be allotted to help relocate Hereford Library to a renovated Maylord Orchards centre.

The funding will be awarded in addition to £8m from Stronger Towns and £2m from another fund, bringing the total budget for the museum refurbishment to £18m, with a further £3.5m allocated for the relocation and renovation of the library. 

The new Library and Learning Resource Centre will provide rentable space for organisations including the council’s adult learning services and health and wellbeing clinics.

“I’m delighted cabinet members reached agreement on these two significant proposals for Herefordshire,” councillor Gemma Davies told Gloucestershire Live.

“Our investment in cultural services is so important to support local people and adds exciting destinations and support for both residents and tourists.”

She said that the new museum is expected to attract around £2.5m annually to the local economy.

“These projects represent good value for money for the people of Herefordshire and put culture at the very heart of our city’s future,” she said.

Six projects designed to support heritage, culture and nature have received funding from the National Lottery to help communities recover from the impact of the pandemic. 

A total of £13.7m from the National Lottery Heritage Fund has been allocated, including £2.1m to Leeds Culture Trust for its Leeds 2023 project, a creative programme that aims to "let culture loose" across the whole city. 

The funding will be used to help uncover hidden community stories, celebrate art, music, dance and industrial history; reconnect people with nature; explore the traditions and role of different cultures in Leeds.

Meanwhile, Derbyshire Dales District Council has been awarded £1m for its Hurst Farm Heritage Trail project.

And Blyth Tall Ship has been awarded £636,600 for its Blyth Heritage Community Response project, which will provide group activities to develop their skills and improve their own wellbeing and employability.

Other beneficiaries are Redruth Revival for its project Redruth Buttermarket: Rediscovering the Market Town, the Tweed Forum for its Destination Tweed: Source to Sea Restoration and Revitalisation project, and NatureScot for its Species on the Edge project.

Eilish McGuinness, Chief Executive of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “I am delighted that we were able to support these exciting projects, which put heritage at the heart of people and places. 

"It is so uplifting to see the continued ambition in the light of the impact of the pandemic and ongoing challenges, protecting our precious heritage and supporting communities to recover and thrive."

Chesterfield’s Pomegranate Theatre is closing at the end of the month as part of a £17.5m restoration project.

The plans will see work completed on the Stephenson Memorial Hall, home to both the theatre and Chesterfield Museum, which has already closed.

Chesterfield Borough Council says the theatre will be extended and the museum reconfigured, with a new gallery space and café bar. New educational and community facilities will also be created.

The project is part funded by the council, with £11m coming from the government’s levelling-up fund.

The Council’s service director for leisure, culture and community wellbeing Ian Waller says the plans will make the Stephen Memorial Hall “even more memorable and enjoyable, creating a modern visitor experience in the heart of our town”.

Work on a major £29m upgrade to a theatre in Somerset to "help attract bigger shows" will begin next year, it has been announced.

South Somerset District Council said the redevelopment of the Octagon Theatre in Yeovil, Somerset, will start in January 2023 and take around a year.

The work will include expansion of the main auditorium capacity from 622 to 900 and construction of a fly tower so shows involving wire work can take place,

Two smaller cinema or studio spaces, a dance studio and a community studio are also part of the plans. Overall the work will cost £29m, with £10m coming from central government grants.

The Yeovil Amateur Operatics Society and other amateur groups who use the Octagon will be relocated to the Westlands entertainment venue while work takes place.

Councillor Mike Best, portfolio holder for health and well-being, said: "I fully understand through my theatre background the limitations of the Westlands facility.

"But at least we are fortunate to be able to... offer that, rather than societies having to cancel shows for an extended piece of time."

"Hopefully when the Octagon is redeveloped, the year it will have taken will have all been worthwhile."

More than £750,000 of funding will be provided to help local libraries and museums develop their facilities and services, the Welsh Government has announced.

The funding, which will be delivered as part of the Transformation Capital Grant Scheme, will support Wales’ local libraries and museums to "develop and revitalise" their facilities.

There will be a particular focus on widening access, partnership working, decarbonisation, and developing sustainable services.

The fund will be used to refurbish and modernise six libraries: Penygroes Library, Dyffryn Ogwen Library in Gwynedd, Rhymney Library in Caerphilly, Pencoed Library in Bridgend, Port Talbot Library and Barry Library.

Funding will also be provided towards and Newport Museum and Art Gallery’s decarbonisation project, and to enable Monmouthshire County Council to ensure the preservation of, and future access to, their collections through work at the Shire Hall.

Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport, Dawn Bowden said: “The Welsh Government remains committed to supporting these important services that fulfil a valuable role at the heart of community life. 

"This fund will widen access for our communities, promote cultural engagement, provide learning opportunities and support community cohesion, sustainability and prosperity.

“I encourage everyone to see what their local museum, archive or library has to offer.”

A Cornwall theatre has launched an audience support scheme to support local music and performing arts.

The Friends of The Acorn scheme will see residents become a ‘friend’ of the Penzance theatre through an annual donation.

Funds raised will go towards supporting the local community, through initiatives such as discounted theatre space hire for local groups and bursaries for children and young people to take part in the venue’s community classes.

Friends will also receive notice when The Acorn’s new shows are listed and an e-newsletter of behind-the-scenes information.

Theatre Manager Richard Cawley says the launch of the scheme follows a difficult two years for the charity.

“[Friends of The Acorn] gives our supporters, who love the shows we put on, a way to regularly support us and become part of The Acorn family.”

Wiltshire Council is seeking expressions of interest from cultural organisations to run Salisbury City Hall.

The hall closed in March 2020 and has since been used as a vaccination centre. The NHS will continue using it until September, at which point the council could hand it over.

It says it doesn't want to sell the building and hasn't ruled out reopening the venue itself, even though "the financial climate is challenging at the moment".

"If we decide to do that we have to ensure the venue is sustainable and will be there for the long-term."

It will hold discussions with possible operators over the coming months.

Plans for the UK's largest entertainment venue have been approved against objections from locals and rival operators.

The MSG Sphere will have a 21,500-person capacity, dwarfing the neighbouring Olympic Park in Stratford, east London. A planned two-hectare LED screen has rankled residents who would see its advertising from their homes up to 16 hours a day. A petition against the project received more than 2,000 signatures.

The London Legacy Development Corporation voted in favour of MSG's application last week. London Mayor Sadiq Khan still needs to give final approval to the project.

Rival venue operator AEG said a new venue should not be located so close to existing venues: "It is imperative that MSG’s proposals do not add to congestion or overcrowding in the area, including on the public transport network."

MSG expressed its pleasure over the approval.

"Throughout this process we have worked closely with a wide range of stakeholders, and are grateful for their collaboration, which is reflected in our detailed proposal."