BRIEFING Hertford Theatre reopening delayed to 2024

There will be no Christmas show this year either as work continues

Project delays mean Hertford Theatre will not reopen in 2023 as originally planned. Instead, it will open in phases from the Spring of 2024.

The venue closed in June 2021 for a major revamp which will deliver a bigger main auditorium and improved backstage facilities designed to attract touring productions as well as a new studio theatre. New cinema screens will also be built, which will enable the venue to show new release films for the first time, meaning locals will no longer have to travel to Stevenage, Hatfield or Harlow to see the latest blockbusters when they come out. The redevelopment, which is being overseen by owner East Herts Council, is called the Growth and Legacy Project. It is hoped the project will enable the theatre to become self-financing rather than be reliant on council subsidies.

A flagship project for East Herts, the theatre plans have been beset with delays and rising costs, due in the main to issues within the construction industry including labour shortages and a steep rise in the price of materials post Brexit and the pandemic.

By March last year projected costs for the project were £24million, £10.5million higher than originally estimated when the project was conceived in 2018.

At that time the opening date was anticipated to be late 2023, in time for the annual pantomime. According to the council, the latest delay is due to a number of factors including the time taken to secure permits from external agencies to pursue aspects of the programme and growing inflationary pressures. A spokesperson said: “These challenges have resulted in a rephrasing of the project to deliver what we set out to back in 2018; a state-of-theart theatre, cinema, live performance and community space East Herts can enjoy for generations to come. This rephrasing means that the anticipated construction completion date is now March 2024.

“We will be undertaking a phased opening in Spring, starting with the new first release cinema offer and following with the live programme in the main auditorium and studio through the summer of 2024.” She said work was progressing well with the new metal seam roof almost complete, foundations for the larger auditorium and studio theatre laid, and steelworks erected for a new balcony area. It has also been confirmed that, unlike in 2021 and 2022, when the theatre held Christmas shows at Southern Maltings and The Drill Hall in Ware, there will be no festive show in 2023.

Another milestone reached in Hartham redevelopment

A short walk across town from Hertford Theatre, another of East Herts Council’s redevelopment projects reached its next milestone with the new roof to Hartham Leisure Centre’s extension completed. The centre is undergoing a £9million programme of works which have so far seen the refurbishment of the existing pool hall, its changing rooms and dry changing areas.

Contractor Cadman has now demolished the front section of the leisure centre building clearing the way for a new two-storey extension that will house a new gym, studios, soft play facilities and café area. With the roof now in place the interior fit out can begin and is expected to be completed by Spring/ summer of this year. Cladding and landscaping works are also scheduled in the coming months.

The final phase of the project will see the upstairs of the existing leisure centre building converted into

Longer visiting hours unveiled at hospital

Harlow’s Princess Alexandra Hospital has introduced open visiting, enabling adult inpatients to have visitors with greater flexibility anytime between 9am and 8pm seven days a week. Previously, in the majority of wards, visiting was limited to an hour in the afternoon and two hours in the early evening. Visiting policies for critical care, maternity and the children’s ward are not subject to the changes, which are now in place.

Apply now for street party for Coronation

If you’d like to hold a street party to celebrate the King’s Coronation in May you’ll need to apply to Hertfordshire County Council for permission to close the road by Sunday 26th March.

The good news is that if it’s on a residential street and doesn’t affect a bus route the council says it will waive the usual fee to encourage as many people as possible to mark the occasion. Information about how to apply can be found at hertfordshire. gov.uk/streetparties.

The Coronation takes place on the morning of Saturday 6th May.