By Carmelo Garcia – Local Democracy Reporter
There are concerns over the impact a new entertainment venue at Eastgate Shopping Centre will have on “struggling” Gloucester Guildhall.
Plans for a new market, food hall and cultural venue as part of the £13.8m Greyfriars Quarter redevelopment were backed by Gloucester City Council leaders earlier this month.
A total of £4m is being allocated on the first phase of the project which councillors say will provide a “vibrant” venue with an “eclectic” food hall where people can eat, drink, and socialise in relaxing surroundings.
The proposals include a 450-seat performance and cultural venue, designed to offer something for everyone which has sparked concerns it could affect the Guildhall across the street.
Councillor Tree Chambers-Dubus (L, Moreland) spoke of her concerns at the special meeting into the council’s finances on December 18.
She said the city is due a new market and cultural space but she fears there will be a knock-on effect for the Guildhall.
Cllr Chambers-Dubus said she was really concerned about the financial situation the council is in. And she feels uneasy that the council is “going around in the same cycle”.
“We’ve already got one cultural space, the Guildhall. It barely breaks even if at all,” she said.
“They struggle to fill that, to put on a programme and are reliant on Arts Council funding.
“What happens when we have two?”
She asked how the council would sustain the new cultural space when the City Council “has no money”.
Culture and leisure cabinet member Caroline Courtney (LD, Tuffley) said she understood the concerns and agreed the Guildhall “has struggled to perform well against its business plan”.
“It’s not in a very visible place, it has technical constraints, it’s an old building,” she said.
“Everybody loves the Guildhall but it is not always the most practical. It’s got a limited audience capacity, it’s not suited for disabled access, there are plenty of reasons why it struggles.”
However, she said it receives an annual grant from Arts Council and it would cost the authority more to close it as the money would have to be paid back.
She also explained the Arts Council is very supportive of the plans for a cultural hub as part of the Greyfriars project.
“They have confidence it can address those issues,” she said. “It will have a bigger audience capacity.
“Its location will be better, next to a foodhall and market.”
She said it will attract more people who “would hang around there more”.
“At the Guildhall there’s not much open in that space at night,” she said.
“It’s not a place where people want to spend an evening other than going in and out to their shows.”