A £20 million restoration of one of Britain’s finest Victorian theatre buildings has been approved in principle by Brighton and Hove City Council.
The Hippodrome, a grade II* listed building, has been derelict for almost 20 years, having been a variety theatre for decades and then a bingo hall before closing in 2006.
Now the restoration of the building can continue and it can be brought back to life as a venue for live performance, with bars and restaurants and an aparthotel on the site.
Laurel and Hardy performed there – as did the Beatles, Rolling Stones and The Who. The escapologist Harry Houdini and Brighton-born comedian Max Miller also appeared on the Hippodrome stage.
The new owners, a family firm from Brighton called Matsim, bought the building in 2020 and have already spent £5 million fixing the roof, making the building watertight and repairing the fabric.
The Theatres Trust, a statutory body, has regularly warned of the risk to the Hippodrome, which has an interior that was remodelled by renowned theatre architect Frank Matcham.
The building originally opened as an ice rink in 1897 and was briefly a circus before it became a variety theatre in 1901.
The MP for Brighton Pavilion, Caroline Lucas, said yesterday: “Some would prefer to hold out for a possible future proposal to transform the building into a ‘lyric theatre’ – a large-scale theatre which can accommodate touring productions of musicals and other genres like dance and opera.
“However, there has never been a proposal with sufficient funding to achieve that vision and it’s worth noting that the Hippodrome was not originally designed as a lyric theatre – nor has it ever been one.
“We are running out of time and options and the priority for me is to ensure that the building doesn’t deteriorate any further.
“The Matsim plans represent an exciting and practical proposal and I believe it’s vital that we seize this opportunity now.”
The council’s Planning Committee agreed – two years after the application was submitted – and work can restart on bringing the building back to life as a performance venue fit for the 21st century.
The committee unanimously backed the restoration plans at a meeting at Hove Town Hall this afternoon (Wednesday 3 April).
Thought we’d get there in the end. Say again, how many years has it been?
Good news. Very.
Well done to Caroline Lucas, MP and those who have backed the scheme.
Utterly fabulous news.Well done at Matsim for getting this sorted and well done to the planning committee for making the only logical decision.
Proud to say we did our bit. Get that tux dusted.
Referendum?
That’s a nice outcome.
Just a shame it took so long to get there. Maybe if the council sacked a few bin Nazis they could afford a few more planning inspectors. Or maybe the bin Nazis could report to the council all the vape shops that have flouted the planning law and made our high streets look like something out of Marrakesh
yes well said stevey
Fantastic news. My dad took me there to see pantomimes just after Christmas time. My brother was on the stage as as part of audience interaction with Jimmy Edwards. We saw Tommy Cooper there, and Frankie Vaughn came down into the audience, knelt down by me and sang. Such a beautiful building, full of beautiful memories. Hazel.
That is very good news . Great heritage must preserved.
Great news!