Theatres Trust welcomes Heritage on the High Street Fund

On 18 May, the Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright announced details of the Heritage on the High Street Fund.  

The £62m fund will be used to bring old buildings back into use and turn them into offices, housing and creative spaces.

The funding includes:

•  £44m to create High Street Heritage Action Zones overseen by Historic England. Applications now open for local authorities to access expert advice and investment to bring historic buildings back into use and support historic high streets to adapt to the challenges they face.
• £15m overseen by the Architectural Heritage Fund for The Transforming Places Through Heritage Programme, which will support organisations to  take ownership of and bring buildings of local importance - such as pubs, libraries or theatres, as well as shops - back into use. This will open for applications in June
• £3m from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to support a cultural programme to engage people in the life and history of their high streets.

Jon Morgan, Theatres Trust Director says “We encourage local communities and campaign groups to help save their local theatre by bidding to the relevant programme. We also hope that local authorities will work with local theatres as part of any bid. As our Theatres at Risk Register highlights, there are buildings around the country currently disused that could be brought back to life and play an important role in revitalising their local areas. Theatres are a great centrepiece to any town centre, reflecting local character, increasing footfall and contributing to the night-time economy. We look forward to working with local authorities, theatres and companies across the UK who are interested in investing in culture on the high street”

Read more about the Heritage on the High Street Fund on the Gov.uk website.

Photo: Liverpool Playhouse by Ian Grundy.