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More than £1 million will be spent building a dedicated circus arts centre in Newcastle – but only if a temporary version of the attraction is successful. Newcastle Borough Council secured £1.8 million of government funding for the Astley Centre for Circus and Performing Arts as part of its Town Deal for Newcastle.
Cabinet members will today approve plans to spend £648,000 converting an empty shop unit in Merrial Street into a temporary base for the Astley Centre, as a ‘proof of concept’, to operate for two to three years.
And if this succeeds, the remaining £1.15 million of Town Deal cash will be spent on a larger, permanent and purpose-built centre as part of the wider £20 million York Place redevelopment, subject to further cabinet approval.
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The centre – named after Newcastle-born Philip Astley, the ‘father of the modern circus – will feature a museum, research centre and teaching facility.
According to a business case drawn up by consultants, the Merrial Street centre could attract more than 11,000 visitors in its first full year of operation, generating £152,351 in revenue and a £19,981 profit.
It would be run by the Philip Astley community interest company, and council chiefs insist there will be no ongoing revenue costs for the authority, beyond a contribution from its UK Shared Prosperity Fund allocaiton.
The business case says that the permanent centre in York Place could attract up to 14,000 visitors a year, generating a ‘modest’ profit of up to £20,000 a year.
Revenue would be generated through in-house courses and education programmes, event space hire, donations and retail. The York Place facility would provide a larger heritage centre than the temporary Merrial Street base, along with more space for performances, including a full aerial programme.
But the centre would be smaller than the large, standalone venue that was originally envisaged, which would not have been sustainable without ‘significant financial input’ from partners.
The report to cabinet states: “As well as an expanded heritage centre, the facility would be able to offer a wide range of performance activities, including a full aerial programme.
“Current interest in the York Place development indicates it has the potential to become a social and activity square for the borough, of which the Astley Circus Centre would be an important element. The revenue implications of this larger unit have been tested though the business plan developed by Leisure Inc with some sensitivity testing around income levels.
“Early stage planning indicates that the level of income generated for the CIC from activity through this larger unit would make it sustainable. This unit is not on a scale with the large stand-alone unit that was previously considered and dismissed by the project group.”
According to the business case, the Merrial Street centre would open in October, while the York Place facility could launch in May 2025.
But the cabinet report explains that if the temporary Merrial Street centre fails, the move to York Place ‘will be subject to further discussion with the government’ as to the reallocation of the remaining Town Deal funding.
Eddie Leligdowicz, chairman of Newcastle Business Improvement District, is hopeful that the centre will prove a success. He believes the Philip Astley Centre will celebrate the town’s heritage while also boosting town centre footfall.
He said: “High streets can’t just rely on retail to bring people in any more – they need other things such as food and beverage, and unique offerings like the Philip Astley Centre that can create that interest factor. And then once people have come to Newcastle, they’ll do some casual shopping while they’re here.”
The borough council has secured £3 million from Future High Streets Fund for the purchase and demolition of York Place, but further funding will need to be secured for the new development.
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