New venue to rise from the Westminster Theatre’s ashes

The West End is to get its first major new theatre for decades. Westminster council has granted planning permission for a 314-seat auditorium in Palace Street, Victoria.

It will be built on the site of the former Westminster Theatre, which was destroyed by fire in 2002. Playwright and actor Steven Berkoff has been appointed patron of London Aloft, the company which will run the venue when it opens next year.

As well as the main stage, there will be a smaller cabaret stage for jazz and world music performances, a restaurant and 35 flats within an eight-storey building.

Stephen Mitchelson, chief executive of London Aloft, said today: "We are delighted. We look forward to creating some wonderful theatre. We start programming today, and it is very exciting. There has not been a new theatre in the West End for years."

Mr Mitchelson, a former lawyer turned actor/producer, will work with London Aloft's artistic director Gregory Thompson, formerly of Glasgow's Tron Theatre. The developers hope the venue will run along the same line as the successful Menier Chocolate Factory in Southwark, which opened in 2004 with a 100-cover restaurant helping subsidise the theatre.

Curtain raised: Westminster council has approved a
314-seat theatre in Palace Street, Victoria

Robert Davis, Westminsters planning chief, said: "I am confident these plans will give this historic site a new lease of life as a cultural hub in the heart of Victoria. Theatre has helped shaped our city over centuries and forms the lifeblood of its cultural and entertainment offer which attracts visitors from around the world.

"The theatre industry contributes more than £1 billion to London's economy so it is vital we support it at every opportunity. It is testament to its enduring appeal that even in the midst of a recession we can have an exciting, new and in my opinion well-designed addition to Theatreland."

A theatre on the site first opened in 1931, premiering early productions by Auden, Eugene O'Neill and T S Eliot. It was considered one of London's most important avante garde playhouses but fell out of favour when it was bought up by the Moral Rearmament Organisation in the late Forties.

It put on propaganda plays with a Christian theme until the late Sixties. After it left, the theatre became run down. There have been several unsuccessful attempts to redevelop the site since the mysterious fire. The shell of the building is already there thanks to earlier planning permission.