Third party organisation to operate Salisbury City Hall as entertainment venue
Wiltshire Council have decided they will lease it out
Wiltshire Council have agreed they will source a third party organisation to operate Salisbury City Hall as an entertainment venue, once it ceases being a vaccine centre.
At a cabinet meeting yesterday (Tuesday 11th October) three different options were discussed about the building's future.
It was recommended that they go with the plan for the local authority to seek an external organisation to run it.
They say it could help potentially reduce the financial burden on the council as a third-party organisation will be asked to take on the running costs and operating risk, while also retain a level of control over venue programming to include a community element.
It's also hoped it will provide long-term financial sustainability in order for the venue to thrive in a manner that the other options won't.
It shut as an entertainment venue in March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
It was the decided in October of the same year that the site would remain mothballed until it was both financially viable and safe to reopen.
In January 2021 it then opened as mass vaccination centre, which it has been ever since.
At the end of September the lease for the building was extended until March 2023, meaning it will remain with the NHS for another five months.
Wiltshire Council had previously stated they wish for City Hall to go back to being an entertainment venue when possible.
They also confirmed that it has applied for funding under the Government’s Levelling Up Fund and is seeking a substantial capital grant to deliver essential work and strategic improvements to Salisbury’s cultural offer, including City Hall and Salisbury Playhouse.
However, the outcome of the bid will not determine whether City Hall reopens as an entertainment, community, and cultural venue or not. Should the bid prove to be successful, works would likely be scheduled to commence in October of 2023 and complete in January 2025.
However, the exact timescales of this potential work, and its impact on when the venue would reopen as a result, would be confirmed in due course.
Cllr Richard Clewer, Leader of Wiltshire Council said:
“While the building has been occupied by the NHS we have been working hard behind the scenes to plan for City Hall’s future as an entertainment, community, and cultural venue, subject to it being economically viable.
“We firmly believe that working with another organisation will provide long-term financial sustainability to this much-loved venue, enabling it to thrive and safeguarding its future.
“With the investment in Salisbury through the Future High Streets Fund and the River Park project, it is clear that the city’s appeal and popularity will only be enhanced in the years to come.
“We of course would be delighted if we were successful with the Levelling Up bid, but we have been diligent and planned for either eventuality. We await with interest the outcome of the bid as that will inform the timescales of our plans.
“We will still need people to be patient though because it will be some time before the venue is reopened, and nothing is confirmed yet, but should this process and option prove to be successful we’ll confirm exact timescales as soon as we’re able to.
“We are feeling positive about City Hall’s future, and we will keep everyone updated as the project develops.”