Cabinet to discuss venue operator for Salisbury’s City Hall

At a meeting next week, Wiltshire Council’s Cabinet will be asked to approve a preferred tenant to take over the running of City Hall in Salisbury – which, if agreed, would ensure the reopening of the entertainment venue takes a significant step forward.

Should Cabinet agree to the proposal of the preferred tenant, the council cannot yet confirm the provider until terms and a lease are formally agreed. This is due to the need to maintain commercial confidentiality at this stage of the process.

Salisbury Radio previously named two tenants in the running to operate the building, with both Meca Swindon and Wiltshire Creative having made bids. 

In what would be a further demonstration of the council’s commitment to reopen the venue, Cabinet will also be asked to approve around £300,000 of funding to make improvements to the external fabric of the building. If the proposal is agreed, this work will be completed either in advance of the lease starting or concurrently with any fit out by the occupier. The final cost of these works will be subject to a formal procurement process. 

Although no timescales can be confirmed at this stage, if Cabinet agrees to the proposal and subsequent lease and terms can be formally agreed with the provider, they have indicated their intention to reopen the venue later this year.   

This update follows the council’s thorough process to ensure that when City Hall does reopen as an entertainment venue it is financially viable and has the best opportunity to be a vital part of Salisbury’s entertainment and cultural offer for the long-term.

As part of this work, the council first carried out an insightful market engagement process which established that, after speaking to potential third-party providers, offering the venue on a long-term lease would be the preferred arrangement and would help ensure it continues to thrive as an entertainment venue for many years to come.  The council then worked with Savills to formally market the venue to prospective tenants and at the end of this process, following further due diligence, a preferred operator has been identified.  

Wiltshire Council Leader, Cllr Richard Clewer, said: “I am optimistic that, following our thorough and sensible approach to reopening this venue, we’ll have a confirmed venue operator very soon. The process we have followed, and the necessary due diligence we have carried out, means that when the venue does reopen then it has the best possible opportunity to thrive as an entertainment venue – and all along this has been our number one priority. 

“We know people will want us to formally confirm the identity of the proposed tenant now, but it’s important we continue to follow the proper process so we do not jeopardise any potential agreements, but all being well, we should have some good news very soon.”  

The proposals will be discussed at the Council’s Cabinet meeting on 21 January, and the full report can be found at Agenda - Democratic Services - Wiltshire Council.