‘Speculations’ over sacrifice of arts centre

Sep 12 2008 by David Holmes, Chester Chronicle

A HIGH-PROFILE Conservative claims Tory-led Chester City Council is prepared to sacrifice a proposed performing arts centre to deliver the troubled £460m Northgate Development.

David Pickering, patron of Chester Conservative Association, would support such a move in the best interests of Chester’s economy as a whole.

But Cllr Stuart Parker (Con, Christleton), executive member for development, says the comment is “pure speculation”.

The Northgate Development aims to deliver a new vision for Chester, including a House of Fraser store, new shopping streets, apartments and public amenities.

But last December The Chronicle reported the city council was considering relocating or even ditching the £20m replacement for the Gateway Theatre to make the whole scheme viable in the light of the credit crunch.

Crisis talks followed with arts organisation Chester Performs leading to the general understanding that it had been saved as an integral part of the scheme.

Mr Pickering says senior Tories will not reveal their hand ahead of negotiations with developers ING but the performing arts centre might still have to go.

Mr Pickering, who is heavily involved with the arts scene, believes Chester cannot sustain a new theatre but has sufficient venues at the racecourse, the cathedral and The Hammond School to stage small scale productions.

“The performing arts centre would cost £650,000 a year even when it’s built,” he added.

Mr Pickering, chairman of Chester City Management, says there is an urgency to strike a deal with ING before Christmas if the scheme is to go ahead and Chester is not to get left behind.

Development executive member Cllr Stuart Parker said Mr Pickering was not privy to discussions taking place with ING and was “putting two and two together and making five”.

Cllr Parker will meet ING on September 24 where he hopes to learn who its investment partner will be in terms of progressing the existing the scheme. He does not deny the possibility it may be “tweaked” but says there has been no suggestion the performing arts centre is under threat. He said: “Nothing has changed. ING has not intimated anything of that nature.”