I have to confess I do not routinely tune into borough council meetings being streamed live on YouTube. However, last Thursday was different. This was an extraordinary meeting to decide whether to agree to proceed with ambitious refurbishment plans to make St. George’s Guildhall an internationally significant cultural venue. The alternative was to keep the building open and simply undertake work required under the terms of the lease.
The plans on the table stem from the £25 million Town Deal agreed with the last Conservative government and the then Conservative borough administration. As part of that deal the Town Board selected the Guildhall, the oldest working theatre in the UK, as our flagship project. Along with other board members made up of private and public sector, and charitable representatives, I have strongly supported the project since the Board first chose it five years.
Of course, links to Shakespeare are a major part of the project. The evidence he performed at the Guildhall is compelling and many people have visited the site to see the newly discovered boards on which he is likely to have trod. Borough accounts from the time record payments to Shakespeare’s company - the Earl of Pembrooke’s men – who performed there in 1593 when London theatres were closed due to the plague.
His connection provides the foundation for this ambitious project bringing cultural, educational, and economic benefits. By regenerating and reviving this medieval building as well as unused buildings on the site, there is the exciting opportunity for an accessible heritage centre for the whole community to enjoy, with theatre performances, arts, educational programmes, and supporting new creative businesses.
Educational opportunities are a core part of this project. I’ve sat in the audience with parents watching young people perform on the stage and seen the confidence they developed as a result. Over 10,000 children and young people have been involved in events both on and off site over the last year and a half. Under this scheme, the reach for local children will increase considerably offering more opportunities for education and training.
This regeneration project will add an estimated £30.8 million to the local economy and is forecast to create over 100 jobs. The potential is exciting – there have been 454 million views of stories about the Guildhall globally. Attracting more visitors from the UK and around the world will benefit Lynn and, importantly, wider West Norfolk.
There has rightly been scrutiny of the plans. £10 million has been allocated by the Town Deal and the original budget set several years ago has grown. That is partly due to construction costs increasing because of the increase in inflation. It also reflects discoveries made during preparatory works on a building dating from 14th century. But the scope and ambition of the project has also increased including additional performance and public space, accessibility, and energy efficiency measures.
I’m pleased councillors overwhelmingly backed the scheme with a bold decision to underwrite the project. This provides a firmer platform from which to attract external funding and sponsorship. With agreement to back the funding plans, works are set to begin in the autumn, with the site due to reopen in 2028.
Now the hard work really begins to deliver the project and major investment to realise the potential for significant benefits to young people, residents and more widely.
