Redevelopment plans for Bognor Regis' Alexandra Theatre within Regis Centre officially submitted

Arun District Council was given £12 million in Levelling Up Funding from the Government in 2022 to renovate the Regis Centre, in Belmont Street, which the theatre is located within, by 2025.

The council is contributing £3million of its own money to assist the development and the plans were submitted by Alder King Planning Consultants on behalf of the council.

The plans would seek to partially demolish the theatre and construct a new extension, to accommodate for more seating in the main auditorium. There would be space for 386 seats, up from the existing 357, and a new lighting bridge to remove the need for current access ladders within the auditorium.

The extension will also accommodate five studios for public use, a cafe/bar/restaurant, a two storey foyer, outdoor seating areas, office spaces for employees and replacement landscaping of the surrounding area.

Of the five studios, one will be a large space with 100+ seats, with the others having 60 each, and studios two and five will be outfitted with ballet bars, mirrors and curtains.

Design concepts viewed by the Policy and Finance Committee in October 2022, were soundly rejected by members who were ‘disappointed’ with the designs and raised concerns about a lack of additional seating in the auditorium, only 29 in the plans of the 100 promised by the initial levelling up proposal.

New designs from December 2022, which the council found more satisfactory, are being used for the current application, although Nicholas and Hare Architects (NHA) said more than the 386 seats proposed was ‘not viable’

They said: “Studies have been undertaken to research if more seats could be fitted and concluded that it was not viable.”

“Demand for the theatre’s facilities is already at capacity and with projected growth of the town, coupled with the potential to grow its audience – [the extension] will ensure that the Alexandra Theatre remains a welcoming heart to Bognor Regis for years to come.”

Regeneration consultant, Neil Taylor, said on the new designs in 2022, that exploring a 450 seat design might cause the council to miss its deadline, and that the development would take 102 years to pay for itself given current ticket prices.

Visit https://www.arun.gov.uk/planning-application-search BR/142/23/PL.