Passions run high at packed meeting on future of theatre and college site

Loughborough College Group, which acquired the site as part of a recent merger, are seeking new owners or investors for the college buildings and the theatre because it cannot afford to run them both without further financial support.

CEO Corrie Harris told the packed meeting at the theatre, during a Q&A session, that essential maintenance work totalling £3M had be carried out on the buildings and that interested parties needed to factor that in to any proposals to keep them going.

Mrs Harris assured the gathering that she was big advocate for the arts and that she welcomed any viable plans which could keep Melton Theatre going and for performing arts students to remain at the college.

She also said the deadline for proposals could be extended beyond October 31 if there was enough interest in the site and that a further open meeting could also be held if required.

Mrs Harris declined to give detailed information on running costs and the maintenance work which needed doing, because of commercial sensitivity, but she pledged to pass that on confidentially to anyone who puts forward a potentially viable plan to take the buildings on.

The college group is the landlord for adjoining Melton Mowbray Library, which is rented and operated by Leicestershire County Council and which has a long-term lease there.

Mrs Harris said there had been an initial conversation about moving the library into the college building so it could be sold off but a sale wasn’t possible with a £1.5M maintenance backlog outstanding on the library.

A college maintenance employee, who said he had worked there for 23 years, said he was ‘flabbergasted’ by the figures being quoted for outstanding maintenance work.

The £3M quoted includes £1.5M on mechanical and electrical issues and the remainder on the fabric of the buildings, such as roofs, walls and glazing.

The meeting was told that former owners, SMB College Group, had conducted an independent buildings condition survey before the merger at a significant cost.

All college courses at Melton were relocated to the Brooksby campus due to falling numbers with just the thriving performing arts courses being retained in the town.

Mrs Harris assured students and teachers at the meeting that there were no plans to close the performing arts courses.

If no viable plan comes forward to run the college buildings the provision would end at the campus in December 2026 but relocated elsewhere and, preferably, locally.

Loughborough College Group took on £12M in debt from SMB College Group when the merger went through and has to pay back millions of pounds of government money which was paid to facilitate the link-up.

Mrs Harris said it was not looking to make money from any sale of the campus/theatre site but that it needed to get value for money from any deal because it involved public funds.

An offer of £1 by Melton Borough Council to take over Melton Theatre was dismissed because it wasn’t value for money and would not have secured the future of the building, she said.

Go to www.loucoll.ac.uk/melton-theatre-consultation to make proposals before 4pm on Friday October 31.