Work to improve an arts centre has moved a step closer after a council awarded £61,500 in contracts for its refurbishment.
Adur and Worthing councils have appointed ECE Architecture Ltd to undertake the final stages of design for the Ropetackle Arts Centre, Shoreham, project for £35,000, while Cove Consulting LLP has been appointed as employer’s agent and quantity surveyor for £26,500.
The wider project is worth around £537,882, made up of £371,278 from an Arts Council England grant and £166,604 from the Ropetackle Centre Trust. The council is not required to make a financial contribution.
However, the Ropetackle Centre Trust currently rents the building from Adur District Council and the refurbishment will, therefore, be a collaboration between the two parties.
The centre is run mainly by volunteers, with a 350-capacity theatre, activity space and a café/bar. It hosts more than 500 live shows per year alongside creative and wellbeing workshops.
The improvements will include moving the stage back to allow for two more rows of seating, as well as enhancing acoustics, painting the café to make it feel more welcoming and work to make the centre more energy efficient.
The planned refurbishments are set to take place between January and March 2027 and will include a six-week planned closure.
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