Telford & Wrekin Council is reassuring residents and businesses that the new Telford Theatre project in Oakengates is still going ahead as planned.

An update on the project was provided during a Question & Answer (Q&A) session at the Oakengates Town Assembly in May – where those in attendance were informed about the next steps.

This multi-million pound project will see the full replacement of the theatre which was originally built in the 1960s and was suffering from significant structural defects as well as reaching the end of its building life.

The rebuild will create 12 full-time jobs, as well as many more part-time roles, and is expected to attract roughly 100,000 visitors across 300 shows annually during its anticipated 60-year life span.

Demolition of the former Oakengates nursery and auditorium has enabled access to areas of the site that were previously inaccessible, allowing further detailed investigations around the site which support the new building design.

Work is continuing behind the scenes and the Council is working with external contractors to start the next phase of works on site as soon as possible this summer.

A construction timeline will be released as part of this when the expected new opening date for the theatre will also be confirmed.

New facilities which the Telford Theatre project will deliver include a 776-seat main auditorium (one of the largest in Shropshire), a separate studio theatre which can support community groups and smaller acts, a new community art room, as well as a newly transformed foyer, theatre dining area and new bar with upgraded amenities and modernised backstage facilities.

In the area surrounding the theatre, known as Theatre Quarter, temporary surfacing works to the public realm area have been completed to support new residents and retailers moving into refurbished shop units and to create an events space.

Delivery of the permanent, public realm surface works will be in line with the theatre programme of works to allow all the required ground and drainage works to be completed.

In addition, the Council is also currently looking at options for increasing the capacity of free car parking available in Oakengates.

This summer, a programme of events organised and funded by Telford & Wrekin Council’s Pride in Our High Street programme and supported by Oakengates Town Council, the first of which took place in May, will be held in theatre square designed to drive more footfall into the town centre.

You can find out more about the Telford Theatre and Theatre Quarter projects here.