Theatre's £15m revamp to begin next year

Work to transform a much-loved theatre which has been closed for three years is set to begin early next year.

Somerset Council secured planning permission in February for Yeovil's Octagon Theatre's regeneration, and work is due to begin in January 2027.

Council chiefs have said the building is on schedule to reopen between 2028 and 2029. The scheme will cost about £15m and it is hoped a government grant will cover about £10m.

Chris Hall, the council's executive director for community, place and economy, said he had "as much confidence" as he can have that the money will come through.

"There have been numerous chances for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to pull out, through numerous changes of department, changes of government, they have had many opportunities to extract this project, and that's not happened," he said.

Procurement for a contractor will start in April this year, and the council expects the DCMS to approve the business case for the money in summer.

About £3.75m will come from Yeovil Town Council, who will run the theatre after it reopens, and £1.25m has come from a ticket levy and fundraising.

But council chiefs said the funding will not be enough to cover solar panels or heat pumps.

Councillor Andy Kendall told a scrutiny committee meeting: "Even though it's closed at the moment with the doors locked, we're still paying £3,000 a month just to have it sat there doing nothing, and we know when it's open, it's averaging £9,000 to £10,000 a month."

Hall said the panels would push the budget beyond the £15m limit, and savings would have to be made elsewhere.

Additional reporting from the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

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