Cabinet members at Thant council will consider a proposal to reallocate £2.8m of Margate Town Deal funding from a highways and public realm project to the refurbishment of the Theatre Royal in Margate.
In March 2021, £2.2m of Margate Town Deal’s £22.2m funding was allocated to the Theatre Royal. Since then, a new plan to create a nationally significant performing arts hub in Margate has been created, focusing on the Theatre Royal’s 245 years of history.
Thanet council says this combines heritage, performance and a move towards financial sustainability. The vision reflects the need to conserve, restore and modernise both the theatre and 19 Hawley Square.
The proposals were shared in a survey and at public and stakeholder engagement events in December 2023 which reached over 19,000 people.
Initial designs presented by Nick Lee Evans, a Specialist Conservation Architect from Lee Evans Partnership, showed an extension to the Addington Street theatre building, widened pavement, reinstated signage and a new box office entrance.
For the five floor building in Hawley Square designs show rehearsal space in the basement; on the ground floor plans show a studio theatre for 50 people, sound studio, green room, bar and coffee area; first floor plan show offices, meeting spaces and a roof garden and, on the two upper floors, accommodation for the theatre companies.
The Hawley Square venue, which was believed to have historically been The London Hotel, will also have offices and accommodation for touring theatre companies.
A projected reopening date was set for May 2027.
The Theatre Royal refurbishment project included additional funding from external sources. In February 2024, the council submitted a £4.5m funding application to the National Lottery Heritage Fund. This application was unsuccessful.
The council has also submitted a funding application for £3m to the Cultural Development Fund, which is administered by the Arts Council for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. A decision is expected later this year.
The Cabinet report outlines other alternative funding options for the Theatre Royal project.
Thanet council says that since the funding was awarded, inflationary pressure mean the scope of some of the projects in the £22.2m Town Deal scheme must be reviewed so they can be delivered within budget.
One project, the Active Movement and Connections Intervention focuses on improving the connections between Margate’s heritage assets, town centre, coast and residential areas. A recent review highlighted significant challenges which impact the scheme.
The report proposes that £2.8m of the £5.3m funding originally allocated to the Active Movement and Connections Intervention be reallocated to the Theatre Royal.
Of the remainder; £1.15m, which is over 20%, will be used to fund public toilets in Margate (£600,000) and a new public wayfinding scheme (£200,000). A further £350,000 is proposed to be reallocated to the Coastal Wellbeing scheme to deliver improvements to public areas and landscaping at the skatepark planned for Margate.
The remaining £1.35m will be for other revised schemes and be held in contingency for other Town Deal projects being delivered by the council.
A Simplification scheme allows Thanet council to manage funding for the Margate Town Deal, Levelling Up projects and the Future High Street Fund as one £51m pot and means funding can be moved between the different projects.
Cllr Ruth Duckworth, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Property, said: “While the council is committed to refurbishing the Margate Theatre Royal and 19 Hawley Square, we have always recognised that the project is ambitious, and would rely on securing significant funding from other sources.
“Following the introduction of the government’s Simplification Pathfinder Pilot1 in December 2023, there are opportunities to reallocate funding to the projects that will deliver the best outcomes for our communities.
“We are confident that reallocating funding will help us to achieve our ambition of bringing the Theatre Royal and 19 Hawley Square back to life, with an exciting arts venue that will bring job opportunities for local people. It will also ensure that other planned Margate Town Deal projects can be delivered.
“We understand that there may be people who will be disappointed that this funding is being reallocated, but the council is committed to supporting the projects that will have the biggest impact on creating jobs and opportunities for the future.”
In January 2024, early engagement with 16 potential Theatre Royal operators took place.
The cabinet meeting will take place on August 22.
The road to renovation
The Theatre was bought by Thanet council as ‘owner of last resort’ in 2007. The building was shut for a six month refurb programme and all staff were made redundant. It was then leased back to the Margate Theatre Royal Trust on a peppercorn rent until 2012 when the Trust went into administration.
Thanet council initially bought 19 Hawley Square from Orbit Housing in 2011 with a view to expanding the Theatre’s facilities.
In 2014 Thanet council offered a long lease or freehold interest in the theatre, and buildings at 16a and 19 Hawley Square and there was an expression of interest from Soho Theatres.
Soho Theatres developed a bid to the National Lottery Heritage Fund to deliver an improved theatre alongside community, food and beverage and hotel space at 19 Hawley Square. However, this bid fell through due to being at the end of the funding period although there was sufficient support for the idea.
Your Leisure took the site on in what was supposed to be an interim measure but had been running it up until the closure in April 2022. All staff were made redundant.
Before closure, the Theatre attracted some 36,000 ticket sales annually (including 11,000 for the pantomime) from 168 performances, generating income of £106k.
Currently the theatre has 465 seats (stalls, circle and gallery), with several small bars and WC’s around the building, and a small box office area. Back of the house hosts five dressing rooms with capacity for 29, two unisex toilets and a shower. There is no separate greenroom. The stage measures 9.3m by 6.3m, with fly space and 2.4m by 1.6m level stage access for get-in.
It’s great to hear of further funding for the Theatre Royal and associated buildings. Getting this site refurbished with great facilities would be a bonus for Margates year round tourist trade and would greatly improve the variety of events that locals can visit throughout the year. I hope the project goes from strength to strength and will be eagerly awaiting further updates.
Perhaps some money can be found to reopen the long-closed footpath that used to connect the seafront to the High Street. How long has it been now? 12, 14, years?
This area stank of urine most of the time when it was open. I believe there was some discussion as to whom owned the footpath. ? If the footpath were ever to be reopened CCTV would be helpful to stop the walkway being misused.
Yes, it was always better to use it after heavy rain! Still, it was a handy short-cut, that had been there since Georgian times.
The footpath in Margate High Street cutting through to the car park opposite the seafront is a public right of way so should be reopened. The path runs over private premises which are supposed to be in disrepair structurally which is why the path was closed on safety grounds all those years ago.
The issue here is that KCC has failed to sort this out between them and the owner of the private premises. 14 years seems to be a long time in negotiations. I believe they are not doing anything. Is there a way to get things moving legally on reopening the public right of way?
ridiculous ,spending money like that on a crumbling building from another era ,and if i hear the word arts again in thanet i will give a pound to a tramp ! thats how bad it effects me
Totally agree… how much money has been thrown at the Theatre Royal over the years? ALL wasted.
Taking the money from a highways budget (Thanet’s roads are in dire need of investment) for funding yet more rubbish “art” facilities is criminal. Close down all the ‘subsidised’ arts outlet that are flogging so called “art” and put the money to proper use.
Having walked around the Market Place “art” district, all I see is daubs that frankly, look like they came out of primary school art classes.
If the Theatre Royal was operated prefessionally (just for once) and produced quality entertainment that people really want (just like Dreamland now do) and less of the woke, inclusive, diverse rubbish then it would stand on it’s own feet financially and possibly prove a credit to the town rather than a huge financial liability.
We get it Real World, cultural things make your head hurt because you lack the intellect to understand and thus enjoy them. Its no egg and chips with pint of wife beater down Spoonz on a Friday night is it lad?
This initiative highlights the important benefits of preserving Thanets wonderful heritage properties. The best way to boost a towns economy is to invest in its culural past rather than simply pour money into new businesses as proven by Historic Englands’ recent commissioned report.
I wish the project well.
“Invest in its culural past”????? Like letting the Winter Gardens rot.
Yet again it’s down to the incompetent management of TDC yet again.
Thanet District Council couldn’t organise a Tupperware party.
Wishing everybody well with whatever is decided. Please, please, please can we have a fully open and transparent schedule of costings and financial management?
There is too much mismanagement of public funds in local and national government. Examples are obviously at worst Hancock and Money swindling the tax payer out of billions doing deals with mates down the pub and dubious off shore companies.
More locally, we get Clancy Docwra seemingly able to dictate rates for works unchecked by authorities with clout. Please stop them being able to dig up roads, not repair them properly and clear off into the sunset leaving us with uneven roads.
I know it’s difficult, but public trust in government competence (local / national) government is shaken and it will take time and evidence to restore trust in government bodies.
It would be helpful to have a schedule of the originally planned work which will not now be done before coming to a judgement on whether this is or is not a sensible decision for the people of Margate.
Well said Tony
Good news but what about reallocating money from the giant white elephant scheme which is Margate Digital College ?
This project has been going on for around three years with the sum total of no progress at all being made. Surely TDC should cut their losses here and reallocate to something that will actually get delivered within the timescale ? We’re talking about £6m of funds.
The Thanet Council can’t keep using tax payers money, to keep propping failing businesses.
Look at Dreamland, it shut down because it wasn’t keeping with the times with old out dated rides and attractions. Then they spent millions putting all the old archaic rides in and got the same result.
They have spent millions on the theatre royale in the past, it’s failed as a business. Now they want to do it again, spend millions with the exact same outcome.
Ramsgate Ferry Port, shut down as a non viable business.yet the council wants to keep spending money trying to update it, when the outcome will be the same.
Thanet Council is stupid
Why anyone thinks politicians have any grasp on business is beyond me.
They keep chewing the cud on this £22 million and it will eventually be watered down by beurocracy and dodgy expenses claims.
Tell us what the money was intended for and exactly (to the penny where the money is being spent).
Don’t forget you can always tell when a politician or local or national are lying, their lips move
Can’t see that even the new number will be enough to do all the works suggested properly even if you include a healthy contingency, if the Lee Evans partnership oversee the project they’ll ne charging around 10% plus vat for their services on top of what they’ve already charged for the proposals.
Wasn’t it prev8ously said that 6 million would be enough to get the wintergardens back into some sort of decent shape? ( though i don’t believe that number either).
If there was a choice over which was saved for the town then i’d prefer the Wintergardens. Surely that has much greater potential for a wider offering.