Malvern Hills District Council and Malvern Theatres Trust Board (MTT) have appointed construction consultancy EDGE to provide project management and cost management services for its £20m Malvern Theatres expansion scheme.
Levelling Up funding was granted to the scheme in 2023 by the UK Government to significantly widen access to the creative arts by extending the leading cultural hub and its community services.
The project consists of over 2,000sqm extension comprising a new studio theatre, flexible workshop spaces, teaching spaces, editing rooms, and commercial events spaces, and will be delivered in partnership with architects Burrell Foley Fischer.
Attracting roughly 300,000 visitors each year, the aim of the project is to deliver a world-class cultural facility increasing footfall by around 135,000 more attendees per year, which would in turn boost the local Great Malvern economy by £11m annually.
Josh Barber, Senior Project Manager at EDGE, said: “We’re really pleased to have been appointed to help bring the new state-of-the-art theatre to life, which will widen access to both culture and opportunity, broadening scope to offer the local population training and experiences in performing arts, digital media and hospitality.
“The project is strongly focused on community benefit and social value, and that aligns perfectly to our values at EDGE. Our culture sector team is an agile but growing one renowned for high-quality service, and we’re proud to add a Levelling Up project of this scale to our wider portfolio.”
The newly accessible facility will enable increased participation by physically and mentally disabled people, by improving access to the theatre’s main commercial offer as well as its ‘Take Part’ programme of tailored events.
Malvern Theatres will also be able to accommodate an extra 105 local schools with its new facilities, be that for theatre performances or specific workshops.
The project is predicted to create 45 jobs and a further 120 indirect employment opportunities, with Malvern Theatres aiming to offer 10% of these to apprentices and work experience opportunities for school-aged children.
Fred Moroni, Marketing Director at Malvern Theatres, commented: “We’re delighted that EDGE has been appointed as a key partner in the delivery of this exciting and transformative project for Malvern. Levelling-up means increasing opportunities for everyone in our community and we look forward to working with EDGE to create spaces in which this shared vision can be realised.”
Cllr John Gallagher, Portfolio Holder for Resources at Malvern Hills District Council, said: “We are pleased to have appointed EDGE as part of the development at Malvern Theatres. This is such an exciting time and we can’t wait to see progress being made on this monumental project.”
Helen Grassly, Director at Burrell Foley Fischer, added: “We are delighted to have been selected, by Malvern Theatres and Malvern Hills District Council, as their architects to remodel and extend the theatre. It is already an incredibly successful venue, in a magnificent setting, and we are excited to be working with them on designs to support their future ambitions. We look forward to sharing our initial ideas with the community in due course and asking for their input to the evolving proposals.”
The new Malvern Theatres project is planned to be completed in 2026.
Header image photo credit: Burrell Foley Fischer
