A huge £25 million revival of Derby’s famous Guildhall Theatre is set to move one step closer to reality.
The 19th century Market Place building has been closed since 2019 due to safety concerns.
But exciting plans were announced last year that major refurbishment work would take place to get the prominent Grade II Listed building back open.
It was hoped the stage curtain would be drawn open again for live shows by Christmas 2027 – eight years after its sudden closure.
The news came as it was announced the Government allocated half of a £20 million cash injection boost for the city to help start up the Guildhall’s restoration.
Restoration plans include a new “front of house” experience with enhanced foyer, as well as a new ground floor café and box office opening onto the Market Place.
The auditorium will also be remodelled to increase the venue’s seating capacity to around 280.
Back-of-house facilities will also be renovated to make the venue more accessible. A new courtyard is also part of the project.
A planning application has been submitted calling for further inspection works to be carried out on the Derby City Council-owned building ahead of restoration.
This is the second investigative phase before internal and external renovations are carried out.
The aim of the investigative work “is to access, consolidate and repair the damaged and failing auditorium ceiling”.
The latest phase will include removing seats inside the auditorium and placing them into storage so more of its structure can be closely examined.
Planning documents state a site visit with Historic England and the council’s conservation and planning officers was held last month.
Last year, the council’s Labour-led administration rubber-stamped a £187,000 “early works” phase for the renovation. This included running surveys, carrying out a proper feasibility study and various stakeholder engagement exercises.
The Guildhall project will cost £24.5 million – funded by a combination of the £10 million Levelling Up Funding and £14.5 million from the city council’s capital budget.
It was announced the Government would also be allocating around £10 million towards a new accessible and flexible studio theatre adjoining the current building at Derby Theatre in the Derbion shopping centre.
Initially, the £20 million Government money was given to the city council and the University of Derby in January 2023, to develop a replacement Assembly Rooms with a purpose-built learning theatre in the Market Place.
But rising costs made the project unviable and it was announced that the money would be reallocated and used to restore and refurbish the Guildhall Theatre and Derby Theatre.
Derby City Council claimed the two projects will generate an additional £2.7m per year for the local economy.
