Council set to give extra £2m to the Citizens
Glasgow City Council is set to contribute an extra £2 million towards the revamp of the Citizens Theatre, which has been hit by delays and rising costs.
More than £25m has already been secured for the project – which started before the Covid pandemic – but more funding is needed to complete the work.
The council has previously agreed to put £6m into the scheme, which is the “first comprehensive renovation in the building’s 140 year history”. It was closed in 2018 and work was initially expected to be completed in two years at a cost of £19m.
Officials have said the project will “secure the future of an ageing and vulnerable building as an essential theatrical, creative and cultural hub”, but have reported it is “once again facing significant funding challenges”.
The additional £2m from the council – which councillors will be asked to approve on Thursday – will be conditional on other funders providing more cash.
A council report said: “Similar to a large number of construction projects, Covid has a significant negative impact on this project both in terms of delay and cost.”
It adds many projects have “found themselves in financial difficulty post-covid as a result of global socio-economic factors which have led to unprecedented levels of inflation”.
“This has especially impacted projects which were tendered and awarded pre-covid, then had to endure an extended period of inactivity during covid, further exacerbated by significant inflationary rises post-covid.”
The redevelopment of the council-owned B-listed theatre, which is leased to Citizens Theatre Ltd, has been described by officials as a “beacon project in the Laurieston regeneration area” and “a response to deteriorating heritage building”.