One of the UK’s biggest music venue operators is rumoured to have signed up to run the newly restored Brighton Hippodrome when it reopens in 2027.
Matsim Properties announced this month it has contracted with an operator as it begins to move into the final phase of extensive building works which will now cost a total of £25 million.
Brighton and Hove News understands this is Live Nation – whose subsidiary Academy Music Group attempted to open a music venue there in the noughties but eventually pulled out because of the high cost of restoring the building.
In its announcement, made on Facebook last week, Matsim Properties said: “We are delighted to report that the restoration of the Hippodrome is gathering momentum towards a 2027 opening date.
“We now have contracted with the operator that is looking forward to welcoming world class artists and performers back into the building.
“The combined investment from us and the operator of over £25 million is going to finally bring back the Hippodrome as a key performance venue for the city and save the building for another century.”
As majority owners of the Academy Music Group (AMG), Live Nation operates a clutch high profile venues of a similar size to the Hippodrome, including the Brixton Academy, the Shepherd’s Bush Empire and the O2 Academy venues in UK cities including Bristol, Bournemouth, Leeds, Oxford and Leicester.
In the noughties, AMG leased the freehold of the Hippodrome from investment firm London Merchant Securities but its plans to restore it stalled with the reported cost estimated at £9 million.
Meanwhile alternative plans to convert it into a cinema were granted planning permission, but never progressed.
AMG subsequently bought the freehold – but the theatre remained closed and derelict. A few years later AMG sold the freehold to Hipp Investments, which said it wanted to convert it into a hotel but did not get as far as submitting plans to the council.
Meanwhile, Brighton and Hove City Council implemented extra planning protections for the theatre, including the fly tower which theatre campaigners want to see retained so it can be used to stage West End scale shows.
In September 2020, the site was bought by local building firm Matsim, which started work on repairing the building immediately. It secured planning permission for a full restoration – including retaining the fly tower – in 2023 and in recent weeks has submitted fresh applications to tweak some design details.
These include an extended steel frame roof to sit over the restored plaster ceiling, which will need to be installed by the spring if the theatre is to reopen in 2027.
Live Nation was approached for comment, but had not responded at the time of publication.
