£45m Colston Hall transformation plan exposed

Plans for a £45million redevelopment of Bristol’s Colston Hall aim to bring the venue on “a par with all the great halls”, the chief executive has said.

The redevelopment is planned to begin in 2017 – Colston Hall’s 150th anniversary – and bring it up to 21st-century standards when work will finish in 2019.

Louise Mitchell said the aim was was to deliver a venue fit for a leading European, national and regional centre for the performing arts.

Among the works outlined yesterday to guests are:

• Remodelling of the existing main auditorium;
• Redeveloping the second hall, known as The Lantern, into a performance venue;
• Opening up the cellars for the first time in 100 years to provide workshops, workspace for performing arts business enterprises and a cabaret style performance area;

Ms Micthell said: “It’s a big journey that we are starting today… it’s a huge job. Colston Hall has existed for nearly 150 years. We need to be big and bold and bring it up to 21st century standards on a par with all the great halls and to do that we need to spend a lot of money on it for the people of Bristol.”

The redevelopment though is due to take place in the same year as the long-awaited arena for Bristol is due to open near Temple Meads station.

The proposed 12,000-seat arena could attract some of Colston Hall’s bigger names away, but Ms Mitchell was bullish about the outlook for both venues.

“Bristol is a big city, a confident city. It needs music venues of all sizes and we are looking forward to working with the operators of the new arena to make sure that between us we deliver a really outstanding programme of music.”

The programme of works will form phase two of Bristol’s biggest ever redevelopment programme in the arts sector. The first stage involved the construction of the £20m foyer space, which opened in 2009 and also includes a performance area.

Stephen Williams, MP for Bristol West and Minister for Communities and Local Government, who launched the appeal campaign, added: “It is critical that projects of these magnitude and significance for the development of the performing arts in this country are given the financial support they deserve. Colston Hall, which is close to my heart as it is in my constituency, will sustain our cultural infrastructure and reinforce our country’s position as an international capital for musical talent and development.

“It will also add to the reputation of Bristol and the wider region as a major hub for the creative industries and support the next generation of stars of the stage in the South West through an education and enterprise development programme.”

To find out more about the plans, visit the Colston Hall website…