SAVE Britain’s Heritage’s 2023 annual lecture will be held at the Royal Academy of Arts in London -and online- on 7th March, in a hybrid event that you can join wherever you are.
Net zero and sustainability specialist Simon Sturgis will use the occasion to call for a revolution in architecture in response to the climate emergency. He will make the compelling case that one of our most effective responses to the crisis is to make demolition of buildings the last resort – not the first.
UNRESTRICTED THEATRE SAYS: This is particularly pertinent to the demolition by stealth that we are currently seeing in historic theatres and cinema buildings across the UK which occupy valuable sites that developers are slavering to get delisted and demolished. There are a number of high-profile sites worth supporting with your interest, including Dudley Hippodrome, the last purpose-built professional theatre in its area which has been actively targeted by the visionless local council; and the State Grays cinema, bought by Wetherspoons and left to rot with a gaping hole in the roof to hasten its decline. We must all work to ensure that greedy developers don’t profit from the loss of our historic built environment by unscrupulous owners who actively work to destroy assets of local community value.
“Architecture is facing its biggest change since the First World War,” Sturgis will say. “Architectural thought has been effectively dormant for the last 90 years and now needs a thought revolution to help solve the climate crisis.”
Simon Sturgis is one of the country’s leading experts in the emerging field of embodied carbon in the built environment. He is managing partner of the consultancy Targeting Zero and an advisor to government, MPs the EU and industry.
Simon was SAVE’s chief sustainability witness at the public inquiry in October last year where we highlighted the massive carbon waste of Marks and Spencer’s plans to demolish their flagship building at Marble Arch.
SAVE’s Marks and Spencer campaign attracted widespread press and public interest because of three key ingredients: a well-loved heritage landmark on Oxford Street; a household name; and the potentially far-reaching consequences this case could have for construction and development.
It is the first time carbon and heritage have both been at the heart of a public inquiry in the UK. With the Secretary of State’s decision expected by early May, it is being widely viewed as a landmark case.
The built environment is responsible for about 40% of global carbon emissions – more than any other sector – which means cutting development’s emissions would have a disproportionately positive impact on our carbon footprint.
This presents us with an urgent obligation to change the way we do development, Simon will argue. Even the “greenest” new-build proposal – which just five years ago would have been welcome – is now arguably an obstacle to the UK’s progress towards its legally binding commitment to be net zero by 2050.
As a result, the retrofit and reuse of existing buildings must become the starting point of any development brief. As architect Carl Elefante’s mantra has it, “the greenest building is the one that already exists”.
The SAVE annual lecture, Architecture and Climate Crisis: How the past can save the future will be held on 7th March in the stunning David Chipperfield-designed Benjamin West Lecture Theatre at the Royal Academy’s Burlington Gardens building – itself a great example of a retrofit which gave a historic building a viable new future.
It is a hybrid event and tickets to watch online are also available.
Find more information, and book tickets (from £5), here
The Earl of Dudley and his family have weighed in to the heated debate surrounding Dudley Council’s vote to demolish the Art Deco theatre the Dudley Hippodrome, the only professional purpose-built area in the region and once celebrated as “The Showplace of the West Midlands”.
One thing you cannot say about the Dudley Hippodrome Development Trust, and its associated Friends and Supporters Group is that they lack spirit, energy and inspiration.
No sooner had the decision to demolish come out of a disorganised and patently undemocratic Council planning meeting, than the DHDT was in touch with the Earl of Dudley to enlist his support.
Not everyone knows that the Hippodrome is actually built upon land which was gifted to the people of Dudley by the current Earl’s ancestor. It is therefore particularly welcome that the current Earl and his family should speak out against the obliteration of this vital community cultural asset.
Interestingly, the land upon which the Hippodrome sits is also designated a Conservation Area, which is why the Hippodrome was never considered for listing as all buildings within a Conservation area automatically have protection- therefore listing was not needed. Now it appears that the Council have, without due consultation, re-drawn the boundary of this Conservation Area to specifically exclude the Hippodrome.
Once again, the DHDT superstars leapt into action and are now pursuing an application to have the Hippodrome listed. The body which decides on listings, English Heritage, earlier in the year raised no objection to the demolition of the Hippodrome, which raised many eyebrows and concerns. Was the government department THAT out of touch with reality? Well, it appears that English Heritage had based its decision on notes given to them by Dudley Council (who were hell-bent on getting rid of the much-loved venue at any cost). English Heritage then produced one-side of A4 not raising an objection to the demolition, which Dudley Council apparently swelled into a much longer document, magnifying English Heritage’s lack of objection to this demolition.
Perhaps English Heritage have had a wake-up call that they might have been steered into the wrong decision. Especially as nobody from English Heritage even bothered to visit the theatre itself before the decision was made. Of all the objections from notable bodies received, English Heritage’s was the only one in favour of demolition. Out of line with the rest, and most definitely out of touch. Has the whole process from all involved parties been sloppy and careless from start to finish? You decide.
Here is the statement from DHDT on December 3rd:
“As you all know, we are awaiting a decision from the Secretary of State regarding Theatres Trust and DHDT’s request for ‘call-in’ on the planning decision to demolish the Hippodrome. In the meantime, a considerable amount of evidence of the intactness of the Art Deco interior of the theatre building has been unearthed. So, we are pleased to announce that we have applied for Historical Listing through the official channels, and this new evidence has been submitted in support of a reconsideration of the 2011 decision to reject listing.
“The previous application for listing was rejected as many items were deemed ‘lost’ and the building was not considered worthy of designation at that time. We now present ‘new evidence’ to the contrary and keep fingers crossed that a new assessment will need to be completed by Historic England. There have been a couple of recent benchmark listings for theatres / cinemas with fewer qualities to bring to the table. We await their response too.
With both these decisions still to be made, we are absolutely astounded that the Mayor of the West Midlands chooses to announce the ‘signing off’ of Towns Fund money for Dudley when there is so much STILL to be concluded. Perhaps he KNOWS something we don’t..yet ? Are you astounded too ? You decide……….”
The DHDT have detailed in their application many still-existing Art Deco features and notable features within the magnificently-constructed 80-year old building, all of which the Council have previously ignored, doing grave injustice to this fine building which was for many decades the pride of the area. Perhaps you can figure out why the Council has so little interest in providing a high-quality, ready-made entertainment venue to the hard-working people of Dudley and surrounding areas, preferring to make them sit on plastic school bucket-seats on a flat floor in an old hall instead?
Let us hope that English Heritage treats the new listing application with the appropriate respect after their grave mistake in their last contact with Dudley Hippodrome.
The Council’s decision to demolish (their stated intention before the decision) has now gone to Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, for “oversight”. Yes, him. It is hard to not laugh, isn’t it? I won’t hold my breath……
In the meantime, you can keep up to date with the ever-unfolding story by following the Dudley Hippodrome Development Trust on their Facebook page here.
17th November was “Love Theatre Day” around the world, and huge numbers of theatres, theatre owners, creatives and local authorities took to social media to celebrate their creative community hubs and the pleasure, stimulation and community cohesion they bring.
Everywhere in the world was out celebrating these jewels in their communities.
All, that is, except Dudley.
This was the day when the hopelessly out of touch Dudley Council’s planning committee met to nod through the application for demolition of their only remaining professional theatre in the area. The destruction of a community-owned building sitting in a Conservation Area on land gifted to the people of Dudley. In one vote the Council members took the assets of the community away and voted to destroy them.
In a meeting described by one attendee as “an unmitigated shambles”, committee members wandered back and forth, engaging in side discussions, rarely giving any speakers or objector their full attention. Tom Clarke of the Theatres Trust had kindly agreed to step up and speak for the Dudley Hippodrome Development Trust, the passionate and committed Hippodrome supporters group which is trying to retain, refurbish and reopen this vital community resource, only to be ignored by substantial numbers of those of the committee present.
Worse still, the owner of the adjacent business, Mr Gurminder Singh, which has been running successfully as a function hall, was given no opportunity to speak to save his business into which he has poured his family’s investment and his own life savings into,. This is Council dealings at their shabbiest.
The outcome of the decision is far from unexpected. Only one councillor voted against the demolition, and for that we thank her (I cannot find her name at present but will update when I find it).
The decision now goes to Michael Gove (!?!) for oversight, so we won’t hold our breath on that one…
But the fight is far from over, and the supporters now regroup to consider their next moves. As Sue Bolton, one of the leading lights of the campaign to save the theatre, said, “It’s not over until the lady sings”
Theatres Trust later said: “We are extremely disappointed in the decision by Dudley Council to give planning permission for the demolition of Dudley Hippodrome. A wasted opportunity to reimagine a heritage asset as a catalyst for growth.”
You can read the Theatres Trust’s full statement here
Here is the Dudley Hippodrome Development Trust’s full report about how the meeting was conducted:
“Because of poor acoustics and poor microphones, we are unsure who presented the council’s application to demolish the theatre. After reading out from the documents for quite a while he then referred to an animated “fly through” video on screen, which did not work. After several failed attempts to get it to work, our one and only permitted objector was called up to speak while further attempts were made.
While the objector, Tom Clarke, the National Planning Adviser from Theatres Trust, who had travelled up from London was speaking to the committee, someone got up and walked directly across the room, distracting Mr Clarke, to speak to the tech guy. There was chatting on the top table and then another councillor got up to join the conversation with the tech guy! It was clear committee members had not read the documentation beforehand as they were reading it rather than listening. We were appalled at that moment.
Following this, DMBC not only got its planning agent to speak, but then got another further chance (at length) to recommend demolition! Our objector had just 3 minutes. A second objector, Mr G. Singh, whose livelihood has been ruined by Metro works and a probable CPO was not permitted to speak despite several requests to allow him to, as an exception. Other councils allow up to 15 speakers.
It was obvious to the observers from the start that the decision had been made before the meeting as not one objection was even mentioned, discussed or argued, particularly regarding the National Planning Policy Framework.
Dudley Council was seeking its own planning permission to demolish a heritage asset, which it owns, to be replaced by something that Dudley council proposes, without proper consultation with the electorate.
There were numerous quality robust objections from Theatres Trust, The C20 Society, Historic Buildings and Places, Save Britain’s Heritage and even the Art Deco Society UK. There were even strong objections from David Ward, The Earl of Dudley, Leander Ward, heir to the title and Tracy Ward, the Duchess of Beaufort.
Our opinion is that DMBC presented false information and photoshopped images to persuade councillors, who were clearly unable to get to Castle Hill and A461 Birmingham Road to see how visible the Castle is from that direction. The image of the new building appeared shrunk and the views presented as if a vistor would arrive on the top of a double decker bus.
The whole case was treated like it was an application for an extension. There should be no need to present false images if the project is worth doing.
Historic England have admitted that their analysis of the scheme had been concluded from information provided, yet the council ‘padded’ this out to about 20 pages from an initial A4 size appraisal, without Historic England visiting the site or looking inside either building.
Theatres Trust has written to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities to request “call-in” on the planning application to completely demolish the Dudley Hippodrome and the adjacent site.
The Secretary of State has the power to take over planning applications rather than letting the local authority decide.
The Trust comments in a statement: “Dudley Hippodrome has been on our Theatres at Risk Register since 2010 and is a building we consider could be viably returned to live performance and cultural use for the benefit of Dudley and its residents, contributing to rejuvenation of the town in the manner of similar opportunities in Bradford, Stockton-on-Tees and Walthamstow.
The application seeks complete demolition of this asset with construction of a replacement building for further and higher education use. However, Theatres Trust does not feel that sufficient consideration has been given to exploring options for retention and positive re-use of the building and there is a possible conflict of interest with Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council determining its own application.
Furthermore, there are sustainability implications of demolition and reconstruction which are not consistent with the council’s declaration of a climate emergency. We have seen elsewhere that the calculated carbon cost for demolition and replacement can be twice that of retrofit, so the carbon cost of demolition of the Hippodrome and rebuilding anew requires recognition.
We await a response from the Secretary of State and continue to support the local group working to save the Hippodrome.”
For more information about the Dudley Hippodrome’s fight for survival, please see the main story here
The Hippodrome vision – it could be this….but it might be this….
Arts Council England has just identified Dudley as one of the “Priority Places” in the UK where arts and culture are significantly underfunded by ACE, and is consequently substantially boosting their investment in Dudley to help the locality grow their arts and culture offering in order to benefit their communities, which is great news for everyone.
So can this be the right time for Dudley Council to press ahead with their application to demolish the area’s largest single arts and culture asset, the Dudley Hippodrome- the only purpose-built professional theatre in the area?
As Heritage Open Days 2021 draw to a close, when all across the country, local authorities have proudly celebrated their priceless heritage buildings, I aim to do what the Council seems not to have done – to celebrate Dudley Hippodrome
This article introduces Dudley Hippodrome to those of you who may not live nearby, or have heard of it before. Locals have heard it all, I am sure, but this article aims to give an overview of the building, the story, the struggle and the vision that could, potentially, bring Dudley Hippodrome back from the brink.
The Dudley Hippodrome
The Dudley Hippodrome is an impressive Art Deco theatre with over 70 successful years of entertainment history, bringing enjoyment to the community and visitors from far and wide. However, its last 12 years have been dogged by closure and neglect. Now it faces the prospect of demolition -for a third time- with few friends in the Council and only the people of Dudley to speak up for it. And boy are they shouting! The saga of the fight against demolition, with the passion, dogged perseverance and the angry cries of the people – is an involved one, but I have broken it down into sections in the hope that you’ll stay with me – to introduce you to one of the important heritage preservation battles of 2021.
The history of the Dudley Hippodrome – “The Showplace of the West Midlands”
When the town of Dudley in the West Midlands lost the Dudley Opera House, built in 1899, which burned down in 1936, its proprietor, Benjamin Kennedy, decided to demolish the remains and build an entirely new theatre on the same site. The Dudley Hippodrome, as the new building was called, was built in 1937/8 and opened in 1938.
c.1910 Postcard showing the Dudley Opera House on the site now occupied by the Hippodrome
Kennedy was also the owner of a new cinema, the Plaza, built in 1936 to replace a previous one which stood right next to the Opera House. The Plaza cinema was designed by local architect Archibald Hurley Robinson. Robinson’s main body of work was in and around the west Midlands, with his practice established in Birmingham. Hurley Robinson was known as a prolific cinema designer over a 25 year period from World War 1 to the outbreak of World War 2.
Dudley Plaza at left (demolished 1997) and Hippodrome sit side by side in undated photo – 50s?
So, when Kennedy was looking for an architect for his new Hippodrome, he turned once again to Hurley Robinson. Although built as a variety theatre, its construction was very much in line with the look and style of super cinemas of the 1930s. Indeed, the Hippodrome is the only theatre on Hurley Robinson’s long list of building credits.
The Hippodrome opened in December 1938, seating a total of 1,750 in stalls and circle, with the region’s largest stage and fly tower- amply equipped to present big touring shows. For many years the Hippodrome was proudly known across the country as “the Showplace of the West Midlands”.
The owner, Benjamin Kennedy died on 10 April 1939, passing on responsibility for running the theatre to his sons, Maurice and Robert. The theatre then enjoyed a glittering couple of decades of operation, with top stars from all around the world headlining here including Laurel and Hardy, Bob Hope, Tommy Cooper, Ken Dodd, Bruce Forsyth and many more.
Programme from 1947
The theatre ran into financial difficulties in 1958, in common with many UK theatres which were then suffering the combined effects of the decline of variety coupled with the new television channels luring away their audiences with the offer of free entertainment in their own homes.
Dudley Hippodrome, “the Showplace of the West Midlands” – the impressive auditorium
After a few months of closure, the Hippodrome re-opened under new ownership in December with a pantomime to tide them over the holiday season. But eventually changing times saw another change of owners and the final stage show at the theatre came on 24 February 1964, and the last live concert starred Roy Orbison in 1974.. A succession of new owners through the 60s and 70s finally saw the Hippodrome reverting to bingo, and it was as a bingo hall that the theatre closed in 2009, after 70 years of operation.
The empty years
In 2010 the building was placed on the Theatres Trust’s annual At Risk Register for the first time (it has appeared every year since). Later in 2010 the building was purchased by Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council.
For those wishing all the details of the theatre’s next few years, the Theatres Trust website can provide you with a detailed background information which you can find here.
In short, the Council compulsorily purchased the building with the possibility of demolition for a scheme which didn’t happen and the building has been empty and languishing ever since. Several interested groups have wanted to revive the venue, but according to Theatres Trust reports, none of them appear to have had the right level of support or finance available to them, together with too many constraints which limited their chances of success from the start.
But now things move up a gear……
The Friends, the Trust – and the Council
The Dudley Hippodrome Friends and Community Group was established in early 2020 and quickly grew a sizeable following on Facebook of over 2,500 followers. What the group has tried to do, with little outside support or assistance, financial or otherwise, is revive the idea of returning the theatre to its previous role as a vital community hub. They have done a remarkable job in mobilising local opinion and feeling to support their aims and my heartiest congratulations go out to each of them for their commitment and hard work.
In an extension of the Friends and Community group, the Dudley Hippodrome Development Trust was formed in April of this year, applying to register as a charity to fundraise seriously and step up their fight to save the Hippodrome.
The DHDT/Friends’ vision for the Hippodrome is positive, ambitious but is well-considered as well as achievable and offers incalculable benefits to the community.
The vision
The Hippodrome sits upon an important site at the gateway to Dudley town, close by the Zoo and Dudley Castle. This whole area is rightly designated a conservation area, which gives higher protection for buildings than if they were simply locally listed. This illustration below shows the aspect as you approach the ‘Heritage Quarter’ and the Gateway to Dudley.
The proposed glazed aspect (on the right hand side of this illustration) would be repeated on the opposite side facing the Zoo and Castle. It cleverly turns the previous “wall of brick” side aspects into something really attractive from all sides.
The DHDT and Friends’ vision is that the theatre would be repurposed leaving a Main Auditorium, albeit with smaller capacity, allowing the construction of a secondary Studio Theatre for smaller shows / events and rehearsals, increasing the potential footfall even further. This approach has been proven to work in other entertainment venues such as the very successful Stockport Plaza.
Moving on to the massive basement with its own entrances which is now reinvented as an all day venue for healthy breakfasts, brunches, lunches, dinners and drinks where you would find a Deli/Bakery, Vegan and Street Food Concessions, Shakes/Ices, Artisan Deli/Coffee House, Prosecco/Ginsecco, Black Country Craft Ales and a Gin and Ale Bar & Kitchen….a vibrant world of food and drink options.
The adjoining soundproofed rehearsal studios would have the flexibility to open out to form a Black Box Theatre with platform stage and flexible seating layouts. Eclectic community meeting rooms, Kids cinema/Xbox/PS4 lounge, and more. The basement studios would benefit younger people of Dudley’s diverse community for musical instrument tuition and performances, acting, singing and dancing, education, health, well-being and personal development, empowering and inspiring for generations to come. What an amazing asset to the community and for local community services to tap into!
Upstairs on the higher levels, the vision continues with a nod to the past. Glazed aspects overlooking the gateway to Dudley, a Laurel and Hardy (who appeared here in 1947) themed Cocktail Bar/Kitchen/Restaurant for lunch, brunch, afternoon teas and pre-show dinner or personal dining with Sunday lunches and special celebratory occasions catered for in style. A rooftop terrace would be added to enjoy views of the town and the Castle.
Here we have a clear, comprehensive, well-thought out plan for a revived and thriving much-loved heritage building. A plan any town (or future city) would be proud of. You’d think….
The struggle and the silence
The Friends/DHDT group has done fantastic work with rallying the local community, generating some smaller-scale fundraising and has created the above visuals to communicate their inspiring vision of how the theatre could revive not only its own interests, but also, according to locals, the run-down Dudley centre which is crying out for regeneration. But it is perplexing that the Conservative-led Council doesn’t appear to be interested.
The Friends/DHDT group has found support from opposition councillors, with Ryan Priest, a spokesman for Dudley Liberal Democrats, saying “To tear down such a significant icon of our history, and to ignore the calls for its restoration is an absolute failure of leadership. Dudley Hippodrome is a local landmark, an important part of Black Country history, and if reopened and restored to its former glory could have a huge impact on the local area.”
Passion is all very well, you may say, but where is the evidence it can work? The Friends and DHDT asked for just £15,000 to survey and analyse the potential for the Hippodrome’s viability as a leisure and entertainment venue. In the only Council meeting they were granted- on June 2nd this year- Mr Harley, the Leader of the Council, seemed to think that was reasonable – so reasonable that there and then he offered the group that £15,000, stating himself that the sum asked was “a drop in the ocean”. But a few weeks later that offer was withdrawn. Could this have aligned with the news that money had come through to proceed with their alternative regeneration plans which involved the Hippodrome’s demolition….
What, we must ask ourselves, could Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council possibly not see in exploring the potential of the Hippodrome? That a large-scale entertainment venue, viable for 70 years, could be brought back to life, bringing financial input into the area by rejuvenating the day-time and night-time economy, opening up opportunities for business to benefit from increased footfall and visitor numbers, providing a first-rate entertainment venue for local people and surrounding areas which they currently lack?
And yet here in their midst is a ready-made, plush, purpose-built, 1500+ seater theatre with comfy seats and great sightlines, and all the potential to bring popular big-scale touring shows into the heart of Dudley, with the resultant financial benefits. Evidence? The hit musical Blood Brothers has already expressed an interest to play a revived Dudley Hippodrome. Just think how many other shows would jump at the chance, given the opportunity?
The Council may not wish to acknowledge the reality of the Hippodrome’s current existence, but there is a growing clamour for positive action to save this significant asset – owned, let’s not forget, by the Dudley people whose hard-earned money was used by the Council to buy it.
Some of the protestations that the building is ugly and austere are very easily countered by the new vision for the building. The current large expanses of brick are broken down by the new additions, making it much more attractive. And yes, it’s run-down right now. But it has been unused for ten years – and any run-down building can be spruced up with a little vision, some money- and the will to do so. Someone also commented along the lines of “It’s just a building-no culture here”. A building is just a building – well, you could say the say the same of a school, a church or even a castle. It’s the people who use it that make a building come to life – and to deny the value of the arts impoverishes the whole community.
The recent news of a financial award for a regeneration scheme was not good news for the Hippodrome. The Council have pushed forward with its application to knock down the Hippodrome (at an estimated cost of £5million, not to mention the huge environmental costs), and spend yet more taxpayers’ money on building some big boxy college buildings in its place. All this, remember, in one of the Council’s own-designated Conservation Areas! The application for demolition was posted in August and statements both for and against demolition have been sent, including a strongly-worded objection by Theatres Trust, the UK’s leading authority on our theatre heritage buildings, as well as the Twentieth Century Society, who stand up for all significant buildings of that period. The application period has closed (although objections can still be posted at the Council’s planning site), and now we wait to hear about the date of the hearing which will finally decide Dudley Hippodrome’s fate.
With feelings understandably running high, it’s important to maintain perspective. As one person writing to the local newspaper helpfully summed up in this way. No-one is saying “let’s not have the college”; what people are saying is “have the college somewhere else, and let’s have both”. Which must be a win-win in any borough’s book. There has not been any reason given why the college has to be built upon the site of the Hippodrome, as far as I know.
Is that idea so controversial that it can’t be viewed as the “win-win” that everyone in Dudley could agree upon – and benefit from?
So we arrive back at the present Heritage Open Days – with Dudley Council’s social media seeming to forget to include the Hippodrome, whilst still asking people to name their favourite building, with many loud replies coming back – the Dudley Hippodrome!
SOME QUESTIONS WORTH THINKING ABOUT
Why did a community survey of development options which omitted the Hippodrome entirely get responses from just 0.18% of the population (within a six-mile radius), yet the petitions in favour of retaining the Hippodrome gathered over 15,000 signatures, representing over 3% of the population? What does that tell us about how more passionate Dudley people are to see their Hippodrome retained and revived than demolished?
Why have the Theatres Trust and the Twentieth Century Society both objected so strongly to the loss of this theatre?
Can the Council find justification for demolishing a building which sits in one of its own designated Conservation Areas, which in itself should afford more protection than Local Listing ?
“Isn’t it listed?” you may say. It is not, because the theatre sits in a Conservation area, which means that all the elements of that Conservation area are protected – and indeed have more protection than Local Listing alone would confer.
It is hard to understand why the Hippodrome was not included in the Heritage Open Days celebration media and other publications.
Dudley Hippodrome? Why isn’t it here on this Dudley Architectural Heritage Trail leaflet…..Dudley Hippodrome? Why isn’t it here on Dudley Heritage Open Days 2021 website either……
Can Dudley Council’s admirable commitment to the Climate Emergency Agreement be reconciled with the needless wholesale demolition of the Hippodrome, releasing thousands of tonnes of unnecessary emissions upon the people of Dudley over a sustained period of time?
In lodging the application for the Hippodrome’s demolition, were the Council aware that this application contradicts their own Action Plan, the National Planning Policy Framework and Dudley Development Strategy too?
Can anyone explain why the proposed new college building needs to be built right where the Hippodrome is, when there are plenty of other sites where demolition of existing buildings is not needed, saving countless unnecessary emissions? If there is a valid reason it should be known.
Wouldn’t it be good to know who, if any, current members of Dudley Council actually been inside the Hippodrome building to see what is there?
I wonder if the people of Dudley consider the current non-purpose built entertainment venues are good enough for them, when they have a plush, purpose-built theatre with perfect sightlines, great acoustics and big-show potential to rival the rest of the UK which stands waiting but unused?
Would the people of people of Dudley prefer to have £15,000 spent on a viability study BEFORE anyone commits to spending £5MILLION on wholesale demolition of a building that the people of Dudley own?
Will Leader Harley consider reinstating his offer of £15,000 for the DHDT to complete a Viability Study to settle the theatre’s future once and for all? Surely both sides would be bound to accept the result?
“A theatre is the heart of the community”
Sir Ken Dodd on Black Country Radio, talking about the Dudley Hippodrome
SOME FACTS WORTH THINKING ABOUT
The Dudley Hippodrome is the only surviving theatre built by this local architect.
The theatre proved itself financially viable for 70 years. There seems no reason it cannot be viable again with the right vision. This could be easily and quickly validated with a Viability Study.
The building comprises a major 1500+ seat auditorium with full stage facilities, which qualifies it to bring the very best Number One touring shows right to Dudley people’s doorsteps.
The building extends over five floors with large amounts of useable internal space. The huge self-contained basement, large numbers of rooms and other areas could provide fantastic community resources as well as providing significant volumes of local employment opportunities.
The Friends group discovered that there is a 1920 Covenant on the land on which the Hippodrome sits, forbidding anything else to be built upon it than a theatre, playhouse, shops or housing.
Theatres are a hugely valuable heritage asset which have the potential to bring a wealth of value to their localities. Many other UK towns are now reaping the huge benefits of understanding these buildings in terms of being strong community hubs as well as tourist attractors, not to mention increased footfall, job creators and day and night-time economy opportunities that they bring.
Dudley has expressed a desire to apply for City status next year. One of the key qualifiers is appropriate entertainment provision. A City without a professional Theatre is a non-starter. However, a retained and revived Hippodrome could be one of Dudley’s keys to city status.
The beautifully renovated and recently reopened Stockton Globe, bringing entertainment, jobs, money and footfall to benefit its community. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
ELSEWHERE……
Councils up and down the country are falling over themselves to bring these irreplaceable buildings back into use – Stockton on Tees has recently reopened the beautifully-renovated Globe Theatre seating 1700 with top-notch management from theatre specialists ATG, Walthamstow in London has its Granada Theatre on the way to renovation seating 1500, with a reduced size main auditorium and many rooms and spaces available to the community, run by Soho Theatre Company. Morecambe’s massive 2000 plus Winter Gardens is gradually coming back to life, and Burnley Empire is diligently, productively laying the groundwork for future success. There are many other success stories waiting to be heard. It is hard to understand why, when all these areas are enthusiastically getting behind their local theatres, reaping all the many benefits, why is Dudley the only one going in the opposite direction?
Walthamstow Granada, London, currently in a major refurbishment which echoes the ideas of the Hippodrome proposals. They are making it work, so surely Dudley can too?
AND LET’S NOT FORGET THE MONEY
Detailed financial studies by Gateshead Council in 2010-11 showed that for each £1 invested in arts provision there, over £4 was returned to benefit the local economy. Surely Dudley Council would want to at least explore that kind of massive financial potential?
THE CRUNCH IS THIS…..
A “drop in the ocean” £15,000 viability study would determine once and for all whether the Hippodrome has a viable future. Surely the Council wouldn’t have a problem with that? And just think how easily this could be done…
The Council has a precious opportunity to listen to the people, support their vision, and reap the many benefits – including opening the door to potential future City status. It could, but will it?
AND FINALLY: I see Dudley Council are presenting their redevelopment plans at the High Streets and Town Centres Development Conference in London (online plus in-person) on September 22nd. How interesting that the innovative Stockton-on-Tees Council will appear before them at the same conference, talking about the regeneration of their Globe Theatre and how it contributes to their borough’s cultural and financial economies – let’s hope Dudley will be listening…….
Please visit the Friends’ site to sign the petition to save the Dudley Hippodrome here
If you can afford to, please contribute to the Friends group’s fighting fund here
UPDATE 13 October – Theatres Trust requests “call-in” for Dudley Hippodrome demolition planning application. Read the details here
