Worcester’s Swan Theatre saved from closure

Proposals to sell off a theatre in Worcester to help pay for a council regeneration project have been scrapped.

Funds from the sale of the 350-seat Swan Theatre were earmarked to go toward a multimillion-pound project to build a new arts venue in the city on the site of the listed Scala Theatre and Corn Exchange buildings.

Original plans for the redevelopment of the Scala site, backed by an £18m grant from the government's Future High Streets Fund, have also been dropped after construction costs for the project almost doubled. A consortium of arts and creative organisations has been engaged to advise Worcester City Council on a revised plan for the arts venue.

Worcester Theatres, which runs the Swan Theatre and the city’s Huntingdon Hall, had been due to take up new headquarters at Scala Theatre.

A spokesperson for Worcester Theatres said: “We are very happy in our current home and will continue to run both the Swan Theatre and Huntingdon Hall for the foreseeable future, bringing a fantastic varied programme of events to Worcester’s city centre.

“While we will not have a role in operating the new Scala venue, we are very pleased the project is continuing to develop and look forward to seeing how the space will be designed and operated as a new arts venue accessible to everyone.

“Perhaps one day even our Worcester Repertory Company may be able to perform there, but of course, until more plans are revealed, it is difficult to say.”