Decision

To approve, enter into and authorise Legal Services to execute as a deed a Grant Agreement between the Council and Wiltshire Creative to grant £1,000,000 of CIL to Wiltshire Creative to deliver Phase 1 of the Stage the Future project to improve Salisbury Playhouse theatre.

Reasons for the decision

Wiltshire Creative owns and manages the Salisbury Playhouse theatre, which is an important venue in Salisbury’s Cultural Quarter. Arts Council England has recently awarded £3 million from its Creative Foundations Fund to Wiltshire Creative to deliver Phase 1 of its Stage the Future project to transform Salisbury Playhouse into a venue fit for the 21st century. Due to the importance of the venue in the context of the Cultural Quarter masterplan, and wider infrastructure and regeneration projects delivered through the Salisbury Central Area Framework, the Council has agreed to provide £1 million in grant to Wiltshire Creative to help meet the Arts Council England grant match funding requirement and pay for some of the costs of delivering the Phase 1 project.

The grant will unlock the timely delivery of vital infrastructure improvements to the theatre and secure an Arts Council England grant to Wiltshire Creative of £3 million towards the project as the council’s contribution helps meet its match funding requirements. As a core component of Salisbury’s Cultural Quarter, recognised in planning and economic policy (Wiltshire Core Strategy CP21, Salisbury Central Area Framework, Maltings and Central Car Park Masterplan, Wiltshire Economic Growth Strategy and Wiltshire Cultural Strategy), the project will render Salisbury Playhouse fit for the 21st century safeguarding 290 jobs, a multitude of outreach projects providing creative learning opportunities, community relationships, access and inclusion, as well as reducing the environmental impact of the theatre by converting old electrical, heating, lighting and air handling systems to modern sustainable equivalents.

Specifically, the grant will help pay for renovation costs to address building fabric, accessibility, mechanical and electrical infrastructure issues and associated visitor facilities, and embed sustainability through PV panels, LED lighting and a heat pump, securing the long-term future of a key cultural and community asset.

The grant will be paid in instalments to Wiltshire Creative over the course of September 2026 and the end of July 2027. The grant will be funded through CIL. A grant agreement, to be executed as deed, has been drawn up by Legal Services. All subsidy control requirements pursuant to the Subsidy Control Act 2023 have been and will be complied with.

See the attached document for considerations in line with Wiltshire Council’s Constitution.

Alternative options considered

Grant no money towards the project. This option was rejected by Cabinet on the grounds that this would result in the failure of the project with serious negative consequences to the theatre and cultural services more widely in Salisbury.