At a Zoom meeting on Monday night Councillors from Ryde Town Council overwhelmingly voted to accept a motion that allows Ryde Council a three-year Lease with an option to buy the entire Ryde Town Hall building including the theatre.
The building has remained empty since 2013 after the Isle of Wight Council sold the building to a private developer and the works to restore the building ground to a halt. In recent months, break ins and mindless vandalism have taken place and youths have been detained whilst inside the building by security teams.
Ambitious restoration project
An ambitious project to try to restore and return the building to community use has begun by Ryde Council who have already commissioned a business case report by the East Hants Regeneration Team and appointed a bid writer to apply for available grants.
Jordan: 18 months in serious discussions
Talking after the meeting Councillor Phil Jordan, Chair of Acquisitions and Finance said:
“I have spent 18 months in serious discussions with the current owner and together we have agreed a bold way forward for the future of the building.
“The three year Lease period at a peppercorn rent gives RTC the time needed to try and put into place the serious grant funding needed to restore the building whilst at the same time actually buy the Town Hall when the moment is right ”
£5k budget to secure building
Councillors were presented with an agreement to take on a three-year lease at a peppercorn rent together with an option to buy and a licence to occupy the building during the same three-year period. The lease will not be a full repairing lease.
Ryde Council have agreed to spend up to £5,000 on immediate safety and security of the building and repairs and to prevent water ingress. The Council have agreed to insure the building as part of the overall agreement.
Lilley: RTC is fast becoming a can-do council
Last year, Ryde Town Council applied for a Lottery Heritage grant funding bid for £7m which they were unsuccessful with at the time. The Council were informed that one of the reasons they were unsuccessful was because they did not own the building.
Mayor of Ryde, Cllr Michael Lilley, added:
“It’s important for our town and community that we do all we can to preserve our heritage and historic buildings and this latest agreement safeguards the future of another important building in Ryde.
“RTC is fast becoming a can-do council and I am delighted we continue to serve the community and our town in a very positive and proactive way.”
‘Friends of Ryde Theatre’ group
Built in 1830 and restored after a fire in 1933 the Town Hall has seen many uses over the years but is perhaps more widely remembered in recent history for the theatre and the famous acts that have appeared there alongside the Island’s home grown bands.
Ryde Town Council are creating a ‘Friends of Ryde Theatre’ group which will engage, help and assist in the overall project of restoring the theatre.
Jordan: Look forward to next chapter in its history with pride and enthusiasm
Cllr Phil Jordan closed by saying:
“There is tremendous community support and I have been contacted by many people already who have experience, enthusiasm and knowledge about theatres and historic buildings and I’m sure, given time, we can restore this building to its former glory. I look forward to the next chapter in its history with pride and enthusiasm.
The Town Hall agreement follows on from Ryde Council’s other recent moves to acquire Ryde Harbour, St Thomas’s church, Vectis Hall, £1m of High Street improvements over four years to Ryde town centre and provision of the government Kickstarter scheme for Ryde with 30+ job opportunities for the young people of Ryde.”
News shared by Phil Jordan in his own words, Ed
Image: © Historic England
