Councillors have voted unanimously in support of a new Shakespeare North Playhouse and education centre in Prescot which will cost an estimated £26m.
A meeting of Knowsley Council’s Planning Committee last night confirmed permission will be given for the new Playhouse, which will be built to designs drawn in 1629 and located just a few metres from the original site of the Elizabethan theatre.
Knowsley Council has pledged £6m towards the costs of construction and the Government has promised a further £5m. Now planning permission has been secured, the charitable trust Shakespeare North can start raising the remaining £15m.
It is estimated that the theatre and education centre will deliver more than £10m worth of value to the local economy, as well as 210 construction jobs and 57 full-time jobs once the facility opens. The council also anticipates the project will increase spending in the area by £1.5m per year.
Prescott was the only English town during the Elizabethan period outside of London to have a purpose-built indoor playhouse.
Peter Scott, chair of Shakespeare North, welcomed the news saying his organisation was ‘thrilled’ the plans had been approved.
‘Our vision all along has been to create somewhere in the North of England where Shakespeare’s work can be studied and enjoyed for generations to come– creating something of a triangle between The Globe and Stratford, both of which are synonymous with his work,’ he said.
‘With Knowsley’s existing links to Shakespeare it is fitting that the ‘triangle’ be completed with a development here.’
The news comes as the world prepares to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Bard’s death this Saturday.
‘Now we know that Prescot, Knowsley and the whole Liverpool City Region can join in those celebrations with extra fervour knowing that this exciting development is coming,’ Mr Scott added.
John Flaherty, Knowsley Council’s executive director of place, commented: ‘Prescot is a small town with a big history and it is wonderful that that history is to be celebrated.
‘The people of Prescot are quite rightly very proud of the town’s heritage and this theatre and education centre will be a fantastic way to showcase that to the world.’
Photo: ID1974/Shutterstock.com
