Contractor appointed to £20m theatre project

Malvern Hills District Council and Malvern Theatres Trust Board (MTT) have selected construction consultancy EDGE to oversee project management and cost management services for the £20m expansion project at Malvern Theatres.

21,500 sq ft of space will include a studio theatre, flexible workshop areas, teaching spaces, editing rooms, and commercial event spaces and is expected to generate 45 direct job opportunities and an additional 120 indirect employment opportunities.

Malvern Theatres aims to allocate 10% of these positions to apprenticeships and work experience opportunities for school-aged children.

In collaboration with architect Burrell Foley Fischer, the UK Government granted Levelling Up funding to the project in 2023.

With approximately 300,000 annual visitors, the objective of the expansion is to transform Malvern Theatres into a world-class cultural facility, attracting an additional 135,000 attendees per year.

This increase in foot traffic is expected to contribute an additional £11m annually to the local economy of Great Malvern.

Josh Barber, senior project manager at EDGE, said: “We’re pleased to have been appointed to help bring the new state-of-the-art theatre to life, which will widen access to both culture and opportunity, broadening the scope to offer the local population training and experiences in performing arts, digital media and hospitality.

“The project is strongly focused on community benefit and social value, and that aligns perfectly with our values at EDGE. Our culture sector team is an agile but growing one renowned for high-quality service, and we’re proud to add a Levelling Up project of this scale to our wider portfolio.”

Additionally, Malvern Theatres will be equipped to accommodate an additional 105 local schools with its expanded facilities, whether for theatre performances or specific workshops.

Helen Grassly, director at Burrell Foley Fischer, said: “We are delighted to have been selected, by Malvern Theatres and Malvern Hills District Council, as their architects to remodel and extend the theatre. It is already an incredibly successful venue, in a magnificent setting, and we are excited to be working with them on designs to support their future ambitions. We look forward to sharing our initial ideas with the community in due course and asking for their input on the evolving proposals.”