Kings Theatre regeneration in Southsea - supplied by the theatre
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00:00Hi, I'm Damon Repton. I'm the Chairman of the Trust. I've been involved in the Kings
00:18for 25 years. I am part of a four-man team empowered to see through the regeneration
00:25project on behalf of the Trust. My name is David Gant, and I've been a trustee for just
00:30over 11 years. Hello, my name is Graham Corr, and I've been a trustee at the Kings Theatre
00:35Trust for over three years. Well, the current phase of the regeneration is the most positive
00:50phase yet. We are currently in pre-approval, looking at how we're going to use the space
00:55to enhance the community engagement in the local area. For several years, we've been looking at
01:01various designs to improve and extend the theatre. These designs need to be approved by Historic
01:07England, which supervises listed buildings such as the Kings Theatre. Also, we needed to
01:12obviously discuss the schemes with the listed building office at the Portsmouth City Council.
01:17I'm delighted to say that we now have a scheme approved by both Historic England
01:22and the listed building officer. We're very close to putting in planning permission
01:27in or around May this year. Once that is in, it's full steam ahead.
01:38So the city of Portsmouth is blessed by having this beautiful Edwardian theatre built in 1907
01:45and designed by the famous theatre architect Frank Matcham. It's an auditorium of 1400,
01:51which means we can provide a real great cultural experience to those who live in and around the
01:57Portsmouth area, from plays to musicals to tribute bands, and of course, the classic
02:03Christmas panto every year. As a Matcham theatre, the regeneration means the use of new areas within
02:10the building to allow community engagements, internal productions, and allow better use of
02:16the bars and allow people to see how these buildings can be revitalised. We believe this
02:22will be a perfect fit and allows access to the theatre, but more importantly, all our patrons,
02:29visitors and community beyond will enjoy a custom experience that cannot be found elsewhere
02:36in Portsmouth.
02:45The whole project will take about one year. We expect physical work to start at the end of 2025.
02:52We hope to have the project and regeneration completed and open by the end of 2026.
02:59But with a fair wind, who knows, it may be earlier.
03:06So the project is going to cost over £4 million and we're looking to fund that project.
03:22The theatre has been very successfully run during the last two or three years and with great support
03:27from Portsmouth and all the audiences that we have, we already have a fund to contribute towards
03:33that budget. Over half of the budget, over £2 million, is already saved in the bank account
03:39ready for the project. The remaining £2 million will be a mixture of obtaining grants both from
03:44the Portsmouth City Council and other bodies and the short change will be funded either
03:50by local sponsorship or a bank loan.
04:03Visit www.portsmouth.gov.uk
04:05for more information
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