Warminster Town Council has awarded significant investment to upgrade Warminster Athenaeum.
In line with the recommendations of the CIL Working Group, councillors approved £30,000 for stage technology upgrades and £5,000 for emergency roof repairs with money coming from the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL). This was match funded by a grant of £30,000 from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.
The investment will allow Wiltshire’s oldest working theatre to purchase a new lighting desk, dimmer packs and replace microphones – enabling Warminster Athenaeum to maintain existing enthusiastic groups and continue to attract high quality touring acts to the town. Additional funding will be spent repairing the roof damaged in Storm Darragh, protecting the building for the future.
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The decision was made by councillors at a Full Council meeting on Monday 13th January and is part of a wider aim of investing in and maintaining Warminster assets – making the town an attractive place to live and work.
Cllr Steve Jeffries said: “I was thrilled that the town council has voted to award this essential funding to the Athenaeum. This funding will allow the Athenaeum to upgrade and replace existing out of date equipment, with modern energy efficient replacements, which will enable this wonderful facility to continue putting on brilliant shows for the local community.”
CIL is a planning charge payable by developers on any new development. The Warminster Town Council policy is that its share of the CIL should be spent on investment in the public realm and public facilities that support the community.
Warminster Athenaeum will report back to Warminster Town Council on the completion of the project.
For more information on Warminster Athenaeum, Tel: 01985 213891 or email: info@theath.co.uk.
For more information contact Warminster Town Council, Tel: 01985 214847 or email: admin@warminster-tc.gov.uk
Last modified: 15 January 2025
