A DESIGN team is to be appointed to draw up plans for a £12 million refurbishment of the historic King's Theatre – ending years of uncertainty over the building's future.
The city council has submitted tender documents to finally get the project off the ground, and theatre chiefs today revealed they will lodge official funding bids this autumn.
Last year, the future of the century-old venue was called into question
amid fears it would soon fail to comply with safety regulations unless upgrading work was carried out.
But the new Lib Dem/SNP administration pledged £6m in its first budget to help kick-start the refurbishment programme.
John Stalker, chief executive of the Festival City Theatres Trust – which runs the venue on behalf of the council – said that will be enough to protect the building for the foreseeable future.
But the Trust wants to raise £12.3m for a complete overhaul, to make it more comfortable for audiences and performers. A final decision on the scale of the project will be taken next year, once the level of available cash is known.
Mr Stalker said: "There is an incredible warmth for the building and what it has delivered for generations of people.
"There is a genuine will to see the King's restored to its former glory."
Mr Stalker said the funding applications will highlight the "architectural, heritage and artistic" reasons for a full revamp of the 1905-built A-listed venue.
The tender documents include an "estimated construction cost" of £12m, and will be carried out in phases. The first part of the scheme, which will cost around £5m and involves refurbishing the existing infrastructure and improving accessibility, is due to get under way in January 2011.
City culture leader Deidre Brock said: "These are exciting times for the King's Theatre. The council is in the process of setting up a joint project board to drive the development forward and we look forward to working with the FCTT.
"Given the significant role the King's plays during the Festival and during the rest of the year, we hope to be able to add to our £6m investment through external funders to take the renovations even further."
The ageing theatre currently suffers from low temperatures on stage, high temperatures in the upper circle, and lacks air movement throughout the auditorium.
Evidence of dry and damp rot has also been identified, and there is a "significant" presence of asbestos, which has been safely enclosed.
The full article contains 421 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
