Council give update on future of Preston’s Guild Hall

Preston City Council has given an update on its current position on the future of the Guild Hall.

The authority say no decision has yet been taken on the future of the venue and therefore nothing has yet been ruled out.

The Council has commissioned IPW, a specialist sports, venues, entertainment and business events consultancy to carry out feasibility work assessing the viability of the venue with the report expected later in the year.

Councillor Matthew Brown, Leader of Preston City Council said: “We recognise the need for, and how important it is, to have a large-scale entertainment and conferencing centre in the city centre and we are exploring all possibilities for the Guild Hall’s future.

‘’We continue to lobby for further central government investment in the city to support Preston’s art and culture sector, because whether we decide to refurbish the existing building, or demolish and build a new venue, the costs are way beyond anything the City Council can afford on its own with initial estimated costs coming at least £70 million upward.”

Councillor Rawlinson, Cabinet Member for Resources pledged back in March, that the Council was committed to bringing forward a solution for the venue within the next 12 months.

He said: “We are not tied to the footprint of the former Guild Hall site, however, it does occupy an excellent central location close to public transportation hubs and it could potentially end up being more costly to build elsewhere, as the land would not be in Council ownership.

‘’What is important, whether we decide to refurbish the existing building or build a new venue, it needs to be meaningful and flexible, equipped to host a variety of events and occasions from big conferences to intimate community gatherings, and a space that reflects the modern needs of the city that we can all be proud of.”

Jack Heaton, Services & Programmes Manager, Theatres Trust said: “Theatres Trust welcomes that Preston City Council recognises the importance of a venue like the Guild Hall to the city, but we appreciate the financial challenges it faces.

‘’As the national advisory body for theatres, we are happy to offer our unbiased expertise to the Council as it considers the future of the Guild Hall.

Jen Cleary, Director North West, Arts Council England said: “Arts and culture are fundamental to thriving towns and we welcome the work Preston City Council is doing to explore the future of the Guild Hall and its cultural offer.

‘’As the national development agency for creativity and culture, we’ll continue to partner with the Council to offer our support and advice on funding streams and strategic development, as they complete their feasibility work.”

The Guild Lounge, a 350 seater studio theatre, continues to establish itself as a vital part of Preston’s cultural landscape and additional funding will extend the programme of events whilst the Charter Theatre and the Grand Hall are out of action. A full line up is due to be announced soon and the venue will continue to grow its audience and visitor numbers and contribute to the city’s vibrant nighttime economy.

Cllr Anna Hindle, Cabinet Member for Arts and Culture said: “We have a new experienced team now in place who are working hard on the development and delivery of a robust, insight-led audience engagement strategy for The Guild Lounge and we look forward to announcing a new programme of events in the coming weeks.”

Preston's Guild Hall has been closed for over four years, following legal proceedings against the former operator and, more recently, the discovery of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) in the roof of both auditoria.

This has resulted in the Charter Theatre and Grand Hall being closed for safety reasons.