Hopes for £15m in town trade if theatre takes over Royal Hall

Figures from the theatre’s annual report revealed that last year the venue brought an extra £7m into the town.

It is set to double if the plans to take on the Royal Hall are successful when they go before a Cabinet meeting at Harrogate Borough Council next month, after the authority revealed it was considering leasing the hall to an external operator.

The chairman of the theatre’s board Jim Clark said: “There’s a strong economic argument for the two getting together. We are anticipating around a £15m benefit to the local economy. As well as saving money for the council it’s a way of generating money for the town’s district.”

Concerns have been growing over the future of the Royal Hall because of a lack of events at the historic venue, which was built in 1908 and officially reopened by Prince Charles in 2008 after a £10.7m revamp.

A petition has been set up on behalf of accommodation businesses in the town amidst fears trade is suffering as a result.

Kimberley Wilson, owner of the Camberley Hotel on Kings Road, who launched the petition last week, said: “Basically it is a campaign set up by a group of local hotels, B&Bs and guesthouses, to show our support for the theatre to have a preferred bidder status.

“With the economy the way it is, we have to be a bit more proactive in encouraging visitors to Harrogate and this is part of it.

“The Royal Hall is a 1,000 seater venue and if we can attract people to different performances and events, it’s a huge boost for the economy.

“Harrogate Theatre understands how to get the best out of the venue. It understands the kind of shows that work as a whole and attracts big names who play to full houses every night – it has the right contacts. This is what we want for the Royal Hall, we are all for it and support it.”

Miss Wilson said the group would be encouraging businesses in the town to sign the petition, as well as local theatre groups and the theatre itself.

“It’s all about the package. People need to have something to do, something to eat and somewhere to stay when they visit Harrogate. If one of those components is missing then they are not going to come,” she said.

“There needs to be more evening events and big names to draw people in. At the moment it tends to be local groups, who have been an integral part of raising funds for the Royal Hall restoration, but it’s not bringing in people from outside Harrogate. It is the height of the summer season and after looking at the programme for the next three weeks there is virtually nothing on offer.”

Coun Clark welcomed the support and said if the bid was successful, the theatre had ambitious plans for the venue.

He said: “At the moment we are putting together our ideas. If we are successful we would like to work together for the next six months with the council, the community, and organisers of events like the Harrogate International Festival, with a view to take over on April 1, 2012.”

Coun Clark has helped to turn around the fortunes of Harrogate Theatre since he became board chairman five years ago. He has agreed to stay on for another 12 months after his tenure had been due to end in September.

Taxpayers are having to foot a daily bill of £1,000 to operate the venue, which staged just 57 events during 2010-11.

Last week the chairman of the Royal Hall Restoration Trust Russell Davidson criticised council chiefs for failing to capitalise on the building’s reputation and allowing it to turn into a loss-making venue.

Speaking to the Yorkshire Post, he said: “It should have been marketed as a unique individual venue, it is the one building of its type in the whole of the UK and it has an incredible history.”