All members of Northumberland County Council are set to decide whether to provide millions of pounds in additional funding for the Berwick Maltings Project. The local authority's cabinet has agreed to approve the scheme, but a final decision will need to be made by full council.
Cost increase and funding gap
Costs for the theatre regeneration scheme have risen by between £4 million and £5 million since the original 2018 estimates. The Borderlands Partnership has already agreed to increase its total investment to £28.5 million, providing Northumberland County Council matches the additional cash, bringing the local authority's contribution to £7.5 million.
Speaking at Tuesday's meeting of the council's cabinet, council leader Glen Sanderson said: "This is a story that began back in 2018 and became one of the key ambitions for this administration - to see this excellent building be revitalised and have significant money invested.
"Working with Borderlands, we built up the business case and found the money, which was then going to be significantly less than it was today. Whether you're in the public or private sector, building costs are a lot more which is down to inflation over the last few years.
"Despite the difficulties we have had, last week I was at a Borderlands board meeting and we agreed to fund more money to meet the shortfall. If the council agree to fund around £2 million, we can find the money to make it work and begin this excellent project.
"Despite the fact that it is costing a lot more, it still represents good value for money - not just for the town and for the arts, but for the whole county. I hope very much we can agree to fund this at full council.
"It's extremely annoying that prices have gone up, but being annoyed doesn't help. By being motivated and faithful to this project, we will get this done."
Project timeline and wider factors
If funding is approved, work on the scheme is now expected to start in November. Along with work to transform the Eastern Lane site, the cost includes investment in facilities at the Barracks in the town to provide temporary accommodation for Maltings activities and support the wider Living Barracks initiative, which is being led by English Heritage.
The council has said the cost of the project has also been affected by wider economic factors that have impacted construction costs, with inflation resulting from the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and the impact of tariffs on steel prices both key drivers.
