Penrith Town Hall is to be used as a “test bed” for arts and cultural activities after Eden Council’s cabinet agreed to allocate £150,000 for a new lift to make it more accessible.
As part of the district council’s single site project and intended move to Voreda House, consultants Howarth Tompkins were asked to carry out a feasibility study for the town hall to be repurposed as a “hub for the cultural and economic renaissance of Penrith”.
Six options were costed which included the building being transformed into a £4.1 million arts centre or a £5 million performing arts and music centre.
However, Eden Council leader Virginia Taylor said that before pursing a major refurbishment, they had been recommended to look at a “blank canvas approach” to the building.
This would include improved public access to the two big spaces on the ground and first floors of the town hall.
“It is imagined that these spaces could change purpose and form with ease and enable very different local and national partners to programme the space to test new ideas and invite participation in the production process.
“This will build confidence in the long-term vision,” said Ms Taylor.
In January, Eden Council’s cabinet app-roved a budget of £235,000 for cultural development initiatives and this is now going to be spent on providing support to five key arts and culture organisations and open access grants to individuals and organisations who would like to develop arts and culture more as part of their programmes.
In addition to the £150,000 earmarked for a new lift and to improve welfare facilities at the town hall, a total of £112,000 is to be shared between Eden Arts, Blue Jam, Highlights Rural Touring, Upfront near Hutton-in-the-Forest and the Eden Valley Artistic Network, in the form of a service level agreement with each of them.
Ms Taylor said the district council was also setting up a £112,000 fund designed to widen participation in arts and culture in Eden through open access grants.
Applicants will have until March, next year, to draw down funds and would be able to apply for up to 80 per cent of their total project costs.
“This is for activities throughout Eden for the benefit of residents, visitors, creative industries and economic resilience — particularly of town centres. People go to the high street to do things, not to buy things so our focus on supporting key local arts and culture organisations and smaller groups aligns with this thinking,” said Ms Taylor.
Last week, an audience of 65 people watched history being as SWIM became the first ever live entertainment event to be performed at the town hall.
Conrad Lynch, of Upper Eden-based We Are Team, was commissioned by the district council last year to create an arts and culture programme to help increase participation in events which would then in turn drive economic growth.
He said the pilot event at the town hall which saw Liz Richardson’s SWIM being performed to a full house was “brilliant” and added that the audience was fantastic.
Mr Lynch said for some of those present it was the first time they had been upstairs to the council chamber.
