Call for £1.5m to finish city regeneration scheme

More public money could be invested in one of Worcestershire's biggest ever regeneration projects as it nears completion.

Malvern-based contractor Speller Metcalfe has requested a final £1.5m contribution towards the completion of the Angel Place regeneration scheme in Worcester.

The project, which includes the refurbishment of the Scala Theatre, requires additional funding to cover a range of extra costs in order to finish it, according to a report to the city council.

The arts centre and wider redevelopment would serve the people of Worcester "for decades to come," said the council leader.

The authority's Policy and Resources Committee will consider the request on 1 September and, if approved, the total cost of the scheme will rise to £26m.

It comes after the city council announced the Scala Theatre would be completed in November, while work on the neighbouring Corn Exchange would be finished in February 2027.

The programme began in 2020 and has been supported by significant grants from the government, as well as investment by the city council.

It has been a long-held ambition of Worcester City Council to revive the historic theatre, which dates back to the 1920s, and was last in use as an amusement arcade.

In 2019, the former cinema appeared in a council "masterplan" for potential redevelopment as part of a wider strategy to inject new life into the northern end of the city centre.

It has not been easy to manage - the original estimated budget in 2020 was just £6.5m, and rose to £12.5m in 2023 before a redesign of the Scala Theatre brought the bill back to just under £10m.

Now councillors are preparing to earmark an extra £1.5m into the project, at a time when budgets are tight.

But the council believes the end result will be transformative with a new arts centre featuring three studio spaces, a bar, a cafe and a regional destination for independent film, live performances and music.

It is also part of a wider overhaul of the Angel Place area, a £26m regeneration which will see the creation of a so-called "northern gateway" into Worcester, an investment which has secured significant financial support from the government.

It includes the relocation of the outdoor market to the Cornmarket - a move which has upset traders - alongside widespread refurbishments of empty buildings and a better-looking public realm.

It is a section of the city which will look and feel radically different from the summer of 2027.

Leader of the council, Lynn Denham, said: "This has been a complex and long-running project and we are pleased it is close to completion now.

"The council is grateful for the sustained partnership commitment from leading local creatives and our construction contractor.

"Scala arts centre will be entertaining and connecting the people of Worcester for decades to come."

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