The future of Derby’s Grade II listed theatre, the Hippodrome was thrown into uncertainty again following an application to demolish part of the building to make way for a multi-storey car park, office and retail complex.
Owner Christopher Anthony plans to build the car park behind the existing frontage of the theatre, but promises that those parts of the building which have not been irretrievably lost, are structurally sound and contribute to the local street scene will be retained and internal decorative plaster work will be restored “as far as practicable.”
Parts of the venue were demolished by last March before the city council ordered a halt. However a council spokesman said that the council could not force the owner to use the building as a theatre. “We are, however, trying to facilitate a realistic and practical use for the building.”
Theatres Trust Director Mhora Samuel said, ‘How will a multi-storey car park bring Derby Hippodrome back to life as a theatre or provide any cultural benefit to the City? The Theatres Trust would object strongly to any application that proposes this. To lose the building in this way would be a total tragedy.’

Leading British cities are jostling to be in line to become one of the British Cities of Culture Andy Burnham, culture secretary, wants to see every four years.

Speaking at the end of Liverpool’s year as European Capital of Culture, he said he had invited Phil Redmond, the television producer credited with the success of the year on Merseyside, to lead a feasibility panel looking at the idea.

He said that Liverpool’s success had underlined the importance of culture to urban regeneration, and that London no longer had a hegemony of artistic excellence.

“By receiving national recognition as a city of culture, every city in the UK could be given an opportunity to bring out the creative skills, talent and enthusiasm of its people – to showcase itself on the national stage” Burnham said, “and change people’s perceptions of how the city sees itself and how it is seen by the rest of the country.”

The first city to take up the mantle would do so in 2011, as a prelude to the London Olympics the following year. He said Redmond’s panel would “consider how frequently it would be awarded, but a working assumption could be a four-year cycle. It would also need to consider a core list of events that the winning city would gain the right to host – events such as the Turner Prize or the Brit Awards and a range of others.

“I’m delighted that the BBC has already indicated its enthusiasm to play a central part in making Cities of Culture a reality.”

The cities that have already put their hats in the ring include Birmingham, Leeds, Cardiff, Durham and Derby.

Durham city councillors announced they were putting together a £1.6million arts masterplan in time for 2011.

In Derby, Quad director Keith Jeffrey said Derby would be able to make a good case for the title. “Derby would be an outsider but going for the title would raise the profile of the city” he said.

The heads of the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Opera North and Northern Ballet Theatre have urged Leeds councillors to make a bid. Richard Mantle, general director of Opera North said: “I think Leeds has a lot to play for. There are very few cities in Britain that are home to a resident Opera company, that also has dance companies – we have two – and we have repertory theatre.”

And in Birmingham, Ray Hassall, the cabinet member for culture, said that the city already had a considerable track record in hosting cultural events. “We are extremely keen to enter into talks with the Department for Culture Media and Sport to see how our great city can benefit from this long overdue initiative.”

Meanwhile, Nalgao, the association of local government arts workers, has welcomed Burnham’s proposal. Nalgao chair Lorna Brown said: “Liverpool’s Capital of Culture programme would not have happened without a committed and imaginative local authority at its core. It is also heartening to find central government finally acknowledging the role and power of culture in regeneration, recognising the importance of culture in a recessionary times”. Nalgao also wants any examining committee to draw eligibility criteria broadly enough to include Britain’s smaller cities.