Everyman plans rocked by NWDA cuts

Deborah Aydon, executive director of the Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse theatres, said the redevelopment of the Hope Street-based theatre in the city centre will go ahead despite the North West Development Agency’s decision not to support the project.

The Liverpool & Merseyside Theatres Trust, which was formed in 1999 to create a shared management for Liverpool’s Everyman and Playhouse theatres, was bidding for £2.4m from the agency to help finance its £28m plans to rebuild the Everyman theatre.

However, the Government-funded NWDA had to make £52m cuts to its budget and announced yesterday that all un-committed projects will not receive funding in 2010/11 and there will be no new financial commitments in 2011/12.

Aydon said: “We are working in a very positive spirit with our other partners and stakeholders – including Arts Council England, Liverpool Vision, The Mersey Partnership and Liverpool City Council – to make sure that this does not affect the momentum or the quality of the Everyman redevelopment.

“All our partners remain fully committed to the strategic importance of this project, which is now at an advanced stage and is scheduled to go on site in 2011.

“The design for the new Everyman has been submitted for planning approval and we have been consulting on the design for some months. The response to date – from artists, audiences, youth theatre members, heritage groups and many others who care passionately about their Everyman – has been overwhelmingly enthusiastic. Consultation continues, with weekly presentations and drop-in sessions.”

Other funding for the project has come from Arts Council England, totaling £15m, while a combination of public sector sources, fundraising and appeals is being sought for the overall cost.

Proposals to build a new Everyman on the site where the existing theatre building is located, which is being demolished, were submitted at the end of May. The current theatre has cramped backstage quarters and has not been updated since the 1970s.

The team behind the Everyman plans, which includes Haworth Tompkins Architects, is aiming to have the new theatre operational by 2013.

A series of free public tours and drop-in sessions are taking place at the Everyman throughout the summer to give people the opportunity to view the new plans.

They run every Friday between 1pm and 5pm until 3 September. To book a place, which are limited to 15 people for each tour, call the Everyman and Playhouse box office on 0151 709 4776.

*The Government confirmed in June that the North West Development Agency, along with the other Regional Development Agencies, will be abolished and replaced by Local Enterprise Partnerships. More detail on LEPs is expected to be announced in the coming months.