Express & Star

Further talks in bid to save Dudley Hippodrome after it emerged proposal to save theatre 'lacks critical information'

Further talks will be held to thrash out the future of Dudley Hippodrome after it emerged a proposal to save the theatre 'lacks critical information'.

Published

Independent assessors said financial proposals by a group of campaigners fighting to save the landmark theatre venue as 'extremely unrealistic'.

Dudley Council says it will hold more talks with the group next week but will continue to pursue plans to demolish the venue.

The council paid £750 to assessors FGM Consulting to carry out analysis of a business plan complied by the steering group submitted at the end of last year.

The steering group features members of Friends of Dudley Hippodrome alongside other experts including accountants who have recently come on board.

Assessor Stuart Shanks said: "The financial information contained in the business plan proposal is flawed with revenues predictions which are dangerously high and expenditure forecasts missing key budget lines."

The assessor said that rather than 290 shows a year, he believed the Hippodrome would be more likely to host around 150 shows annual in the first 12 months.

This would net a gross box office revenue of around £1m if attendances were at around the 32 per cent mark for shows.

He said after assessments had been made on earlier business plans 'this proposal still lacks critical information'.

Campaigners say they have taken the feedback on board and made revisions to plans submitted at the end of February.

They are set for talks with the council again next week.

A statement from the steering group said: "We have been working very closely with Dudley Council who have given us their full support.

"We are pleased to say that the project is now moving forward.

"After feedback from our first business proposal submission we have now arranged to meet the the council's assessor to further develop our business plan - this will take place next Wednesday."

Dudley councillor Khurshid Ahmed, who is in charge of economic development in the borough said tlaks will continue

"We are continuing to have correspondence with the campaign group and have received some updated information which we will consider," he said.

"We will be meeting again with them in due course.

"Our position remains clear, in that whilst we will continue to explore the friends group's scheme, we will also continue to develop an alternative proposal in parallel.

"This means if the friends group's latest proposal proves unviable, we will be able to proceed with a plan which will avoid Dudley Council tax payers bearing the cost of the building deteriorating any further."

Sorry, we are not accepting comments on this article.