Theatres Trust, the national advisory body for theatres, has responded to the current planning application for Theatre at Risk Brighton Hippodrome, warning that the current plans do not match the owner’s ambitions for the building as a mixed-use performance venue.
Grade II* listed, the Hippodrome is the UK’s most architecturally significant circus theatre, and the finest surviving example of its type in the country, remaining quite intact. It has been on Theatres Trust’s Theatres at Risk list since it began in 2006.
Theatres Trust believes the optimum viable use for the Hippodrome is for it to return to use as a large scale-theatre, which there is a proven local demand. However, given rising costs, the challenging funding environment, and the risk of further deterioration, Theatres Trust would be supportive of an alternative use that was viable and could be reversed to return the theatre to large-scale use in the future.
Unfortunately, having examined the plans in its role a statutory consultee in the planning system, Theatres Trust is unable to support the plans as the current scheme has several key flaws that would prevent it from functioning as proposed.
Theatres Trust Director Jon Morgan says “We applaud the passion and the investment the current owner Matsim has made towards protecting the Hippodrome from further deterioration and to developing a potential future use for the theatre. There has been much excitement about acts like the Rolling Stones who played here in the past returning, but sadly if the current scheme goes ahead, the venue won’t be capable of hosting anything more than DJs and performers with limited equipment.
“Unfortunately, we believe the current plans are fundamentally unworkable, will not provide a space suitable for the mixed-use performance programme they hope for and will prevent the theatre ever returning as a large-scale venue.”
