City councillors have approved plans to refurbish and extend the Norwich Theatre Playhouse in St George’s Street, doubling its bar and modernising the 200-year-old riverside venue. The decision came at a Planning Applications Committee meeting on 9 July, where members voted to back the scheme after hearing from both supporters and objectors.
The project will transform the 300-seat theatre’s existing bar into a two-storey building, alongside a full refurbishment of front and back of house areas. Stephen Wright, Norwich Theatre’s commercial director, previously told the BBC the building’s infrastructure had become tired and needed what he called ‘TLC’. ‘The character is timeless but the infrastructure is getting tired and so the project we’ve put forward is to have a look at those challenges, tackle them and make a building that is fit for the next 30 years and beyond,’ he said.
The Playhouse opened in 1995 within a converted 19th-century maltings and has hosted performers including Sir Ian McKellen and Timothy West. Plans for its redevelopment were first drawn up in 2019 but shelved during the pandemic. Stephen Crocker, Norwich Theatre’s chief executive, described the venue as a ‘cherished cultural landmark for 30 years’ when the application was submitted in February. Work is expected to begin in 2028, and the theatre hopes to keep staging shows throughout the construction period.
Neighbours at Dukes Palace Wharf had written to the council raising fears about disruptive noise, with one objector describing future disturbance as their ‘greatest anxiety’. Green Party councillor Tammy Searle said she was ‘very excited’ by the project but questioned the fate of the Ceilingopolis artwork inside the venue. The Broads Authority also expressed concern about plans for digital signage on the building’s front, though councillors noted that noise and display issues would be dealt with through the licensing process.
Designed by architects Citizens Design Bureau, the scheme will include a passenger lift to all floors, air-source heat pumps to replace ageing systems, and other energy-efficient upgrades. The application was one of four decided at the meeting, which also saw approval for eight new flats at garages on Clancy Road and two flats replacing a car park at Berners Close.
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