£11.5m for Opera House revamp... but two years until curtains up

Friday 14 October 2022

£11.5 million in Government funding has been allocated to fully restore the Opera House - but the delay in works means that it will have been closed for four years by the time the curtains finally go up in 2024.

The Opera House first closed in March 2020 as a result of the covid-19 pandemic. However, it did not re-open when restrictions were lifted due to health and safety concerns.

Using £2.2m from the Fiscal Stimulus Fund, the Government had intended to renovate and reopen the doors of the Grade 2 Listed building to the public by summer 2022.

However, it emerged earlier this year that the renovation of Jersey Opera House would no longer be eligible for the £2.2m grant under the Fiscal Stimulus Fund because the volume and complexity of the required restoration was greater than first anticipated and meant the project wouldn’t be completed on time.

A new opening date of June 2023 was set at this point.

Deputy Kirsten Morel, Assistant Minister with for the arts, then confirmed that that the £2.2m funding would instead be coming from underspends from 2021 but the Government were still searching for an extra £500,000 to make “more improvements to create better experience for theatre goers”.

Pictured: Deputy Kirsten Morel and Pierre Horsfall, Chair of the Opera House Board.

However, Deputy Morel admitted at that “genuinely didn’t know” where the extra funding would come from.  

In the latest update, the Government has just announced that £11.5 million in funding over two years has now been allocated for the building to be “fully, rather than partially, restored”.

Subject to States Assembly approval, the money identified in the Government Plan for 2023 and 2024, will ensure that the restoration of the Grade 2 listed building includes not only emergency work essential to its reopening, but also important work which will ensure it remains open as Jersey’s flagship theatre for years to come.

The Minister for Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture, Deputy Kirsten Morel, said: “I am so pleased that my colleagues on the Council of Ministers share my commitment to the arts and the Opera House and have demonstrated this with this new and much needed investment. When the building opens, it will not only be safe but also fit for purpose long into the future.

“While the restoration work is carried out, we will be working with the Opera House to ensure that the Island and arts community are kept updated and that a programme is created using alternative venues throughout the Island.”

The Chair of Jersey Opera House Board Limited, Pierre Horsfall, said: “The Opera House is a much-loved venue not only in the performing arts community but for all islanders. A great deal of work has been happening behind the scenes to reach this point and I am delighted to see the Government commit to providing this much needed funding.”

Pictured: The level of maintenance required at the Opera House is greater than originally anticipated.

While the building remains closed, Government will work with the Opera House Board to ensure that events which could have been staged at the Opera House are held at other venues.

In addition to this investment, a report into the future use of the Opera House and the arts ecosystem in Jersey has been published today. The Performing Arts Ecosystem of Jersey – Situation Analysis and Options Appraisal for the Jersey Opera House provides a set of proposals for how the venue might best be used. 

Deputy Morel said: “Jersey has a wide range of venues and we want to ensure that the Opera House plays a key role as a vital platform and hub for sector development. This report provides us with options which will be considered over time with the industry.”