New theatre set to stage best shows in UK

COUNCIL SEEKING AN OPERATOR FOR WATERMANS REPLACEMENT

- By PHILIP JAMES LYNCH

A NEW theatre for west London aimed at attracting some of the best shows in the UK has moved a step closer to opening.

After a decade in planning and a “perfect storm of crises,” Hounslow Council has announced its intention to source an operator for the new Hounslow Arts Centre via an open tender process.

Plans to build the new Brentford theatre alongside around 100 homes were previously approved and now the search is on for an operator to run it.

It had been believed by many in the local community that Hounslow Arts Trust, which ran the Waterman Arts Centre on the same site that closed down due to financial difficulties, would take over.

The procurement process will follow a “phased approach” to “shape viable delivery models” for the state-of-the-art centre. This will involve analysing local needs to inform potential business models, conducting market testing to assess operator interest, before launching the formal procurement process.