WIRRAL Council will explore four options for the future of New Brighton’s Floral Pavilion including turning it into an arts and cultural hub, closing it, or turning it into a fully commercial venue.

However, unlike last year where the theatre was facing budget pressures, things are looking more positive with an expectation it will stay within budget.

Due to unachieved savings in its budget of £1.3m last year, the council was forced to review the theatre’s budget as well as draw up plans to keep the building on Marine Promenade running into the future. Five options were put forward but these have been whittled down to four.

These include keeping the existing model with a maximum subsidy of £500,000 from Wirral Council, creating an arts and cultural hub, having a commercial operator take it over, or close it entirely. However, closing the Floral is “not a preferred option” given 70% of people in 2018 wanted it to remain a community asset.

At a tourism, communities, culture, and leisure committee meeting on September 19, councillors approved the findings of a report that has been kept confidential to allow council officers to finalise a business case in early 2025, and “establish” the Floral’s place with the regeneration of New Brighton, its value, and wider impact.

Officers previously said the plans for the Floral could “consider its place in Wallasey alongside Wallasey Central Library.” After a question from the Friends of Wallasey Central Library, the council said it could not offer assurances it would remain at its current location on Earlston Road.

The new hub could include a new library, youth services, community and family hubs. The report pointed to the likes of the Chester Storyhouse or The Edge Theatre and Arts Centre in Manchester as examples.

Going forward, the new hub could also help save the council £418,000 as well as support plans for 250 new homes, a new 90 bed hotel, and other improvements to New Brighton. The business case will look into the options in more detail including the work needed to be done to the building which is currently estimated to be £2.9m.

Andy McCartan said the previous year had been “turbulent” for the theatre in terms of its budget but was on track to stay within it this year. He said the consultant report explored “what does the venue need to look like going into the next generation and how would we do that.”

However, due to Wirral Council’s current financial position, he said they were taking “a measured approach” and “would rather proceed with caution and stay within the existing operational budget than come to members to ask for sums of money we know will be difficult to get.”

Cllr Jenny Johnson said the other options needed to be equally explored including turning the Floral into a commercial venue, adding: “It’s an absolutely invaluable asset for our community and there’s no doubt people really appreciate what the Floral Pavilion does but particularly given the financial landscape, I do think we need to be looking just not at this one preferred option.”

Cllr Ann Ainsworth asked that given the out-of-hours access to the Floral whether books could be donated there to be sent out to other libraries across Wirral taken over by community groups. Officers said they would take this suggestion on board.

Councillors also received an update from the Floral’s managers Pauline Campbell and David MacKenzie. Mr MacKenzie said he was excited about the plans but in the meantime they are looking at other venues to see how things are done.

Ms Campbell said their plans to change the Floral’s programme meant “some great household names coming through the building” with ticket sales for an upcoming performance by Will Young crashing the website, top comedians, and touring shows.

She said the venue was “getting conversations with some great touring producers now” including national musical productions, adding: “These are shows that we generally fight with Liverpool and Chester to even get a conversation going but now they’re talking to us.”