Date: 10/02/2010
Several years of discussion, negotiation and collaborative effort between High Peak Borough Council and Buxton Opera House are now bearing fruit with the start of work on the new Pavilion Arts Centre at Pavilion Gardens, which began on Monday 8 February 2010 following an initial "strip out" phase.
Awarded to Tomlinson and jointly funded by High Peak Borough Council, High Peak Theatre Trust and Derby and Derbyshire Economic Partnership, the £2.5 million project will transform the dated and little used Paxton Suite into a high profile 462 seat arts centre, with 369 seats in the Main Auditorium complemented by a further 93 in the new Studio Theatre. The use of retractable seating will permit the entire suite to be used for multiple purposes, including banquets, retail and other events.
The first phase of the refurbishment is concentrated on the toilet provision opposite the Paxton Suite, which will be out of commission until late April; during this period a temporary toilet block will be situated on the promenade. During this phase a new boardroom and meeting facility will also be completed on the upper levels. An important feature of this modernisation is the introduction of new lift facilities that will make all levels in the complex fully accessible to those with disabilities.
The area currently known as the Paxton Suite was at one time Buxton's Playhouse (also known as the Hippodrome) and the refurbishment will restore the best features of the original design and features such as the vaulted ceiling and original balcony. The new Arts Centre will, however, also incorporate the best of contemporary design in the seating, colour scheme and the very latest performance and presentation facilities.
Hoping to become a regional beacon centre for arts, conferencing, functions and events when it opens in September, the Pavilion Arts Centre will attract a broad spectrum of visitors to Buxton and the High Peak and provide a real boost to the local economy.
Leasing the area from High Peak Borough Council, Buxton Opera House will expand its current programme, with the Buxton Buzz Comedy Nights, the Paupers Pit drama and film programme and the Gardens Lounge Four Four Time Festival concerts all moving into the new venue.
Opera House Chief Executive Andrew Aughton said: "As well as providing a new, bigger and permanent home for these parts of our programme, the new Arts Centre will also be home to the majority of our children and young people's programme, both performance and participatory. Families and their youngsters will see this happen very early on in the venue's lifetime, as our October Children and Teenagers Festival - A To Z 2010 - will be one of the first events in there! Our new junior, youth and student theatre companies will also use the new centre as a base and, throughout the summer, it'll be invaluable as a venue for the Buxton Festival, the Fringe and the G & S Festival. It will truly be a new all-year-round venue for Buxton!"
Extending the present focus, Buxton's Pavilion Gardens will be challenging the likes of Harrogate and Birmingham for conference and events business, and also seeks to tap the regional city centre market for meeting, exhibition and function trade. This latest refurbishment and redesign will undoubtedly add yet another dimension to the wonderful facilities on offer at the Pavilion Gardens and further stimulate the revival of this Jewel in the Crown of the Peak District and the High Peak Borough.
Tony Kemp, Executive Councillor for Regeneration, comments: "It has at times seemed a long hard slog to bring forward this project, but it will be well worth the effort when we re-open this exciting facility later this year. My colleagues, the Buxton elected Councillors, were determined to keep the town's second theatre as a single entity and restore it to its former glories. We have greatly appreciated the enthusiastic help of the Opera House Trust in joining their vision with ours, complementing their own long-held ambition to create a purpose-designed stage facility for children and young people - very much in line with our Council priorities. The Trust and its many supporters from far and wide have raised a spectacular amount of money and enabled us to make the dream come true - we could not have done this without so much generous public help.
"I must also acknowledge with grateful thanks the support from all Councillors across the Borough who have recognised the need to invest in the complex to turn around its financial fortunes. The scheme will help to "anchor" and grow the existing Festival scene in the town, which brings business to communities across the High Peak. Most importantly, it will enable us to bring ever more new business into the Borough as a whole, boosting jobs and wealth for local people."