Yeovil's Octagon Theatre may not open until 2027
It's been confirmed by Somerset Council
The Octagon Theatre in Yeovil town centre may not reopen until early-2027, Somerset Council has confirmed.
The council announced in October 2023 that it would be putting its £30m revamp of the Octagon Theatre on hold to reassess the business case in light of high inflation and interest rates.
The theatre has been closed since April 2023, with the council voting as part of its annual budget to keep the building shut until a new business case could be agreed.
The council is now pursuing a scaled-down redevelopment costing £15m, with originally intended for the venue to reopen in time for the 2026 pantomime season.
However, officers have now confirmed that the revised business case for the project still hasn’t been submitted to the government – meaning the venue may not reopen until 2027 at the earliest.
Details of the Octagon Theatre project were published as part of the council’s capital programme, which was approved on March 5 as part of its annual budget setting.
The programme shows that £14,523,000 remains for the Octagon Theatre project, of which £13,750,000 comes from external grant funding and £773,000 is listed as external borrowing.
Of these external grants, £10m will come from a ring-fenced grant provided by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
The other £3.75m will be provided by Yeovil Town Council, which has agreed in principle to take over the running of the theatre as part of a ‘devolution deal’ which also saw it take the reins at the Yeovil Country Park and the Yeovil Recreation Ground, known locally as Mudford Rec.
The council indicated just before Christmas 2024 that the revised outline and final business cases would both be submitted to the DCMS in the spring of 2025.
Councillor Federica Smith-Roberts, portfolio holder for communities, culture, equalities and diversity, stated at the time: “The Octagon Theatre redevelopment is a pivotal project that will modernise the venue for the whole of Somerset, making it a hub for cultural expression.
“We are is delighted to drive forward the redevelopment plans which will breathe new life into the Octagon Theatre.”
The capital programme indicates that the bulk of the project funding will spent in the 2026/27 and 2027/28 financial years (around £6.7m in each year) – meaning that the venue may not be able to reopen to the public until 2027.
The council has said it will provide further clarity on the time-scale for the project in the coming weeks.
A spokesman said: “The revised outline business case is planned to be submitted by the spring of 2025, followed by the final business case.
“Time-scales are subject to a wider time-line review with our newly appointed design team, and we expect to have more clarity in the coming weeks.
“It is expected that Yeovil Town Council will own and manage the Octagon Theatre once the project is completed. This is likely to be around 2026/27.”
Council officers revealed in April 2024 that it was costing in the region of £140,000 to keep the venue closed and in a good condition until the new project could get off the ground.
This sum – around half of the annual subsidy the venue received when open – is being spent on utility bills, running the heating ventilation systems and various forms of insurance.
A spokesman said: “The costs for maintaining the Octagon, until any capital project commences, can and will vary.
“We are developing a project plan and collaborating with our pre-build and design team to secure the necessary funding and establish a time-line for on-site work.”