Curtain set to fall on Scarborough’s Futurist Theatre

The Futurist Theatre, which for decades has been one of the best known seaside venues in the country, has been facing its final curtain for some time after council bosses earlier warned it is “unsustainable” and together with the surrounding area is suitable for redevelopment.

But the issue will once again come under the spotlight tomorrow when plans could be backed to temporarily close the venue and board it up. If another operator cannot be found it would then be shut down.

Over 4,000 people have signed a petition urging council chiefs to save the historic venue.

An urgent report has been prepared for the leader of Scarborough Council, Tom Fox, over the future of the Futurist as the contract with the current operator, impresario Barry Stead, comes to an end at the end of the year. Officer advice will be given in private and a statement of the decision taken issued afterwards.

It is proposed that the theatre, on Foreshore Road in the resort, is boarded up and that the council continues to maintain the empty theatre for three months to allow an operator to come forward. If nobody comes forward the theatre would then close.

The authority says it has already held talks with another operator who have said they do not wish to run it.

Nick Edwards, Scarborough Council’s director of business support, says in a report: “The condition of the building has become a major factor in the Futurist Theatre’s demise and has reached a point of requiring significant capital investment.

“It has been reported to cabinet that the Futurist Theatre is no longer a sustainable attraction.”

Another option, which will also be debated, would be to increase the council’s contribution for running the theatre for 2014 from £80,000 to £180,000. In talks Mr Stead has told council officers that he needs extra cash for a number of reasons including the fact he is finding it difficult to book acts because of the on-going uncertainty about the theatre’s future and the increased cost of operating the building.

However Mr Edwards adds: “The council faces severe funding reductions and is required to identify savings of £5m over the next two financial years. The Futurist Theatre has been deemed no longer financially viable/sustainable and members have approved that the future of the site lies in the redevelopment partnership with the Homes and Communities Agency.

“Any decision to operate the Futurist Theatre during 2014, whether it is with the present operator or another, is a short term solution without the maintenance investment.”

Campaigners have spent a decade attempting to persuade the authorities that the Futurist has an important role to play entertaining tourists and local residents .

But a consultancy firm recently hired by the council concluded the 92-year-old building will not be fit for purpose without major investment – a move that cannot be justified by the cash-strapped authority.

Competition from nearby venues, such as the Spa and dwindling audience numbers are impacting on the ailing venue, the report warned.

Last month a 4,000-name petition was handed to council chiefs in the seaside town urging them to take steps to save the theatre.

Councillors agreed to look at alternatives to regenerate the site.

They decided to seek expressions of interest over options for the 4.2-acre site, which has been valued at £335,000, and runs from St Nicholas Street, through the King Street car park and down the cliff to the theatre which is on the seafront.

Supporters of redevelopment say its links give it potential for an “iconic” replacement. Coun Fox, who received the petition last month from campaigners, said at the time it would be taken into account when decisions were made over the site’s future.

He said councillors had agreed to seek expressions of interest from developers for work on the site.

These could include plans for a theatre but he stressed any proposals “had to be viable.”