How would you like to see a new Ribble Valley Arts & Entertainment Centre in Clitheroe? Trinity Community Partnership has been working on the idea for about 5 years, ever since they started to manage The Grand Cinema in 1999.
I bet you thought nothing would ever happen? Nothing ever changes in Clitheroe!
Clitheroe the Future recognises the need to help Clitheroe become a more enterprising town, and a town that caters for all people’s needs. A Clitheroe the Future healthcheck on the town in 2002 supported the idea of an Arts & Entertainment Centre
I bet you thought nothing would ever happen? Nothing ever changes in Clitheroe!
Clitheroe the Future recognises the need to help Clitheroe become a more enterprising town, and a town that caters for all people’s needs. A Clitheroe the Future healthcheck on the town in 2002 supported the idea of an Arts & Entertainment Centre
And now there is a great chance for will happen. Times have never been better. There might never be a better opportunity. The Lancaster Foundation has promised £2million towards the building costs. St. Mary Magdelene’s Parish Church has agreed to sell the site for this purpose; and Trinity Partnership’s Board of Trustees has agreed to move forward to the next stage of development.
Clitheroe the Future Partnership secured funding from the North West Development Agency towards the cost of a Design Study on the St. Mary’s Centre site. Other money was donated by the St. Mary’s Church Hall Development Group, Ribble Valley Strategic Partnership, and Trinity Partnership.
IWA Architects of Clitheroe were commissioned to do the Design Study, and were given a generous amount of freedom to see what they could do with the complex town centre site. The Study was completed in May 2004, and subsequently Trinity Partnership’s Arts Centre development Group has been consulting key groups to get their reactions. Several presentations have been made to groups including Ribble Valley Borough Council Officers and Councillors, Clitheroe Town Council, Clitheroe Civic Society, Clitheroe the Future, Church Street and York Street residents, FORCE (Friends of the Arts Centre), New Form Arts, and Lancashire County Council.
Overall reaction to the Design Study so far has been favourable.
Hopefully you will have seen information about the Study in the local paper, and hopefully you will have had chance to think about the Study and come up with a reaction? The Study is certainly enterprising! IWA Architects have used the site fully, and have come up with an adventurous and enterprising result. In addition to the St. Mary’s site they have included in the Design Study the area of land called The Shelters, adjacent to the St Mary’s Site on York Street. This additional area of land has helped the Study to become a more self-sustaining project by including elements of commercial activity. Income from the small scale commercial activity (retail shops, and offices) would help to cover the running costs of the Arts & Entertainment Centre. But that is not at the expense of having some first class arts and entertainment facilities! Have a look at the Design Study on this web site, and read about it in the local paper.
We now want to get a reaction from the wider public, from residents of Clitheroe and Ribble Valley, and from visitors to the Valley. So PLEASE HELP US by giving us your reactions to the proposals detailed in the local papers. But please remember that what you can see on this web site, and in the local paper, is a DESIGN STUDY. It examines what is possible and makes some strong recommendations. It is not a final proposal. It explores the strong potential of the best town centre site available.
So please take some time to fill in the questionnaire, and pose some serious questions to Geoff Jackson about the nature of the development. THIS IS QUITE POSSIBLY THE MOST IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENT OF COMMUNITY FACILITIES IN THE TOWN AND THE VALLEY FOR MANY YEARS. Take the opportunity of making your feelings known!
Use the Ribble Valley Arts & Entertainment Centre Feedback Form
