The Stage

Bournemouth council condemns Pier Theatre to closure

Published Tuesday 27 January 2004 at 12:05 by Sally Bramley

Bournemouth’s Pier Theatre is to shut after local councillors rejected proposals put forward by a private company to run the seafront venue.

The Riviera Consortium lost its bid to run the pier - which includes the theatre - after cabinet members of Bournemouth Borough Council said there was a lack of detailed plans, problems with staffing issues and questions about deliverability.

Liberal Democrat councillor Adrian Fudge, cabinet member for quality services and value for money, said it was unlikely the Pier Theatre would open for a summer season as it was a loss-maker for the council.

He added: “The Pier Theatre is, a lot of the time, only accessible by walking down a rain and wind-swept pier and the building itself is not that brilliant. It needs a considerable amount of money spent on it and that is money we haven’t got. There will have to be council tax reductions on services and people are going to look at it being a loss maker.

“It is unlikely there will be a summer show this year because the promoters cannot make the money on it. The council rents the theatre to the promoters and if they cannot make money out of it then the council will not be able to make it pay.”

In June last year the Liberal Democrats won control of the council after promising to refurbish the Winter Gardens, which was then under threat of demolition. Bournemouth’s Pavilion Theatre also is in need renovation - in the region of £8 million - and its leasehold was put on the market in October. The town also has the Bournemouth International Centre.

Fudge said: “The Pavilion needs millions spent on it. We have two preferred options, which are going to be looked at to see what the private sector can come up with. Everything needs money. It seems as though all our assets have been allowed to deteriorate and now we have to spend an enormous amount of money on them.”