Council bosses asked to approve extra £1.4m in funding for landmark playhouse project

Council bosses will be asked to approve an extra £1.44m in funding for the transformation of the West Yorkshire Playhouse at a meeting next week.

Leeds City Council’s executive board will be updated on the ongoing requirements for the transformation of the West Yorkshire Playhouse, and will be given a progress report on the ambitious scheme to revamp and revitalise the theatre and its surroundings.

The plans include improved access to the theatre and a new city-facing entrance along with a new studio theatre space in the Bramall Rock Void.

Members will also be told about the creation of two new public spaces at Gateway Court and Playhouse Square which will link the theatre with other major ongoing developments in the area.

If approved by the executive board, the £15.8m redevelopment project, led in partnership with Leeds City Council, will be funded by £5.6m from the council, alongside a £6.6m Arts Council England contribution and £3.6m from the playhouse’s own resources, including a fundraising target of £2.75m.

Cllr Judith Blake, leader of Leeds City Council, said: “Working alongside partners, our shared commitment to the vision of a modern, 21st century Playhouse and the huge cultural, social and economic benefits it will bring to the city remains unwavering.

“The Playhouse remains an integral and much-loved part of Leeds’s cultural landscape, and this project is vital to ensuring its future is sustainable and that the theatre can continue to inspire and make an exceptional contribution to the arts and in communities across the city.”

A planning application for the project was submitted and approved last year, with designs drawn up by architects Page Park.

West Yorkshire Playhouse executive director Robin Hawkes said: “The redevelopment of the Playhouse together with the creation of a redeveloped and enhanced public realm and other developments here on Quarry Hill will create a major shift in Leeds’s cultural landscape. We are hugely thankful to the funders and sponsors who continue to support the project to create a building which will match the ambitions of our organisation.”