Salisbury City Hall to open after five years this summer
Salisbury City Hall will open this summer, five years after it was last running as an entertainment venue.
The venue has been closed for entertainment since March 2020. It opened up as an NHS vaccination centre in January 2021, before closing in January 2023, remaining vacant since.
Law firm RWK Goodman advised Salisbury City Hall Limited on the agreement of a lease for the hall with Wiltshire Council, finalising a 25 year lease for the site which will see the 64-year-old venue reopen later in 2025.
The group, headed up by the management of Swindon’s Music Entertainment Culture and Arts (MECA), will look to carry out their own additional works alongside the currently ongoing council improvements.
A real estate team from RWK Goodman’s Swindon office led by partner Greg Callard advised on the lease agreement.
Callard said: “Salisbury City Hall is a venue which is a beloved part of the fabric of the city, and it’s been a pleasure being able to mix our legal expertise with a drive to bring such a fantastic venue back to life.
“Justin and the wider management team are a perfect fit for the hall, with their passion, experience, and commitment to the region, and we look forward to seeing the venue reopen later in the year and attract great artists and entertainment to the region while embedding themselves at the heart of the local community.”
The hall, which was originally opened in 1961, is one of the largest entertainment venues in Wiltshire and has played host to artists such as the Beatles, David Bowie, and Led Zeppelin in previous years.
Justin Britchford, director of MECA and Salisbury City Hall Limited, said: “We are delighted to have been given this opportunity and cannot wait to get started. Wiltshire Council has worked tirelessly with us to make sure the venue will be a roaring success. We have some great plans for the venue and have listened to people’s views on what they have missed the most while it has been closed.”
