Last week rumours broke that the Hippodrome has been purchased by a developer who intends to turn it into a luxury hotel. Such a move would be a real tragedy, if it meant that it destroyed any hope of returning this amazing venue back to its former glory. 

If restored, the Hippodrome could be central to the regeneration of the Old Town area which has recently been listed as ‘at risk’ by Heritage Britain.The Hippodrome is still number one on the Theatres Trust's list of Theatre Buildings at Risk (TBAR) for the fourth year running. With that in mind, I have been doing all that I can to support the ‘Save the Hippodrome’ campaign group in their efforts to re-open Frank Matcham's magnificent auditorium. 

Most recently I facilitated a meeting between the campaigners and the Local Enterprise Partnership - with the hope that it might help to identify funding streams that would help to restore the building as a performance space and kick start a regeneration project in the area.

Unfortunately, until plans and funding is in place, the site remains at risk to other developments. I have written to the new owner  to urge him to examine ways to enable a flourishing lyric theatre to operate once again.