New Everyman gets the go-ahead

LIVERPOOL City Council has given planning approval to the redevelopment of the city’s Everyman Theatre.

The existing theatre, close to the Catholic Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral, will be replaced by a new three-storey building with a 450-seat auditorium, a bistro, and office and rehearsal space.

Work on the £28m redesign is expected to start next year and should be completed by 2013.

The Everyman was one of 100 projects to lose out on promised cash as a result of spending cuts announced by the North West Regional Development Agency (NWDA) last month.

Yesterday the theatre’s management said they were working to close the £2.4m funding gap left by the NWDA’s decision and were still committed to the revamp.

In a report prepared ahead of yesterday’s council meeting planning officers recommended an approval, stating the new scheme would, “retain the character and charm of the existing theatre, whilst providing vastly enhanced facilities”.

They added: “It constitutes a complimentary mix of uses, in a highly accessible and sequentially preferable city centre location. It will benefit the local economy and provide enhanced employment prospects.”

The designs have been drawn up by London-based architects Haworth Tompkins.