Published on 9th July 2013

town hall

Cheltenham Borough Council are considering the next capital investment project to improve Cheltenham’s cultural and artistic offer, with plans to improve services and facilities at the Town Hall.

As part of a commissioning review for leisure and culture services within the town, a feasibility study of the Town Hall has been undertaken to consider the current operation of the site and a range of future options. These include changes to the use of existing spaces and the possible addition of new facilities on the site that complement the current offer, including improvements to:

  • Main Hall seating, both in terms of capacity, flexibility and comfort.
  • Layout, location and design of catering areas.
  • Increased secondary room usage by soundproofing between side rooms and the Main Hall.
  • Appearance and layout of reception, box office and corridors, raising the visibility of the venue’s entrance.
  • Separate public activity access areas from those that require restricted access.
  • State of the art sound and light technology.
  • Upgrade to artists dressing rooms and green room area.
  • Improve stage area and sight lines in the Main Hall.
  • Improve acoustics for live bands and spoken word within the Main Hall and Drawing Room spaces.

Councillor Rowena Hay, cabinet member for sport and culture, said: “The study has sought to ensure that the council maximises the community benefits that its assets, facilities and services deliver, whilst reducing the level of financial subsidy. In respect of arts and culture, the major redevelopment project for the Art Gallery & Museum is drawing closer to completion, with the site re-opening in October 2013 and we are now looking to see where we can enhance our other facilities. Cheltenham Town Hall represents the council’s key entertainment venue, serving the town and wider cultural community and it’s essential that we optimise its potential as a first class entertainment venue.”

At cabinet on 16 July members will be asked to approve a phased approach for Cheltenham Town Hall and to allocate an initial £200k to invest into the Cheltenham Town Hall capital investment scheme in order to progress the scheme to RIBA Stage B.

The cabinet report can be found on the council’s website.

For press enquiries contact: Kelly Carter, communications officer, telephone 01242 264154, email [email protected]