Local authorities

Manchester City Council's licensing committee has received objections to the planned opening of the 23,500-seat Co-Op Live arena in April from another local venue and the Music Venue Trust (MVT).

ASM Global, which operates the rival 21,000-capacity AO Arena, currently the UK's largest indoor venue, objected to Co-op Live's license citing "public safety" reasons.

The firm argued Co-op Live should close by midnight and not be given permission to open 24/7 on 25 occasions every year as requested.

During the hearing at Manchester Town Hall, Mark Donnelly, the COO of Co-Op Live's developer, responded:

"We are quite disappointed to see [ASM] trying to put conditions on us when they operate with an unrestricted licence.

"We feel these are competition-based. We feel there's very little from a licensing point of view."

Mr Donnelly also criticised MVT's objection, claiming that it had arisen because Co-op Live "declined" to sign up to MVT's £1-per-ticket levy, which funds its "pipeline investment fund" for grassroots venues.

Niall Forde, Licensing Advisor for MVT, said the claims were "inflammatory" and "entirely false".

He said MVT had supported the opening of the "23,500-seat auditorium bowl" but was concerned that allowing the venue's "ancillary spaces" to stay open later would impact neighbouring residents and businesses. Co-op Live would take trade off smaller venues, he added.

Previous objections to Co-Op Live from Greater Manchester Police, council trading standards, seven councillors and three residents were withdrawn after revisions were made by the organisation.

However, there is still opposition from ASM, MVT, 32 residents, two councillors and the council's public health team.

The licensing hearing continues.

A statue of the transatlantic slave trader Edward Colston will go on display at Bristol's M Shed museum after councillors rubberstamped the move yesterday (21 February).

The Art Newspaper reports that Bristol City Council's planning committee removed the statue’s Grade-II listing as part of the process for making it part of the museum’s collection.

The statue was toppled by protesters in 2020 before being plunged into Bristol Harbour. It was included in a temporary exhibition at the M Shed Museum but has been out of public view since January 2022.

A city-wide survey by the We Are Bristol History Commission found that 80% of respondents were supportive of the statue going on display at M Shed.

The commission’s chair, Professor Tim Cole of Bristol University, said: “I was pleased to see that the planning committee approved the officer's report recommending that the statue enter permanently into the museum collection. 

"Museum display emerged overwhelmingly in the conversation we — as a history commission — had with the city in 2021 as the most appropriate site for this contested and complex object."

Plans to de-list a statue of the transatlantic slave trader Edward Colston so it can be permanently housed in a museum are set for approval by Bristol council.

The Grade II-listed statue was toppled by protesters in 2020 before being plunged into Bristol Harbour. It was included in a temporary exhibition at the city's M Shed Museum but has been out of public view since January 2022.

Bristol City Council's development control committee will vote on 21 February on a proposal to delist the statue.

If approved, the statue will be part of an exhibition on protest that due to open next month.

The move follows a public consultation by the We Are Bristol History Commission, which found 80% of Bristolians agreed it should be placed in a museum.

According to a council report, Bristol City Council Conservation said a statue of Colston returning to its plinth was "not a reasonable expectation" due to the possibility of "civil unrest".

Mayor of Bristol Marvin Rees said: "I remain in support of the view that the best place for the statue is in a museum where its context, and that of what it represents to many communities, can be appropriately shared with diverse audiences."
 

Ipswich Borough Council (IBC) has voted to continue supporting the redevelopment of Ipswich Museum after a £2.7m overspend.

The museum closed in October 2022 for renovations and expansion, initially budgeted at £8.7m, half of which was funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF).

Now with an estimated cost of £11.4m, after rising inflation and supply chain issues, IBC voted on 6 February to ensure the project is delivered in full, unanimously deciding to apply for a second round of funding from the NLHF.

According to a council report, NLHF has indicated that it will consider an additional funding application if the council provides match funding.  

At a committee meeting, the council was warned that, if rejected, the project could be subject to a complete review, halting it for at least 18 more months.

"It's really hard to see what other option we have because we are so far down this road now," said Conservative councillor Ian Fisher.

"If we don't vote for it, we get something that's not going to be anywhere near what we wanted."

Labour councillor Carole Jones, portfolio holder for planning and museums, said: "There are improvements that we need to make, and this is not an extravagant scheme.

"We are where we are, and we can only go forward."

The Guildhall Trust has taken over ownership of White Rock Theatre in Hastings.

Built in 1927, the 1,000 capacity theatre is one of the largest and most historic in Sussex.

The trust says it will work towards a five-year plan to develop the theatre’s studio into an performance and community space.

A trust spokesperson told the BBC: “We will be developing a five-year plan to identify how we want to develop the venue and programme, and as a charity, there will be opportunities to fundraise to support this”.

Hastings Borough Council, which owns the site, has said the move “secured” the theatre’s future, after the lease of previous operators Trafalgar Theatres ended last November.

Independent councillor from Hastings Borough Council Andy Batsford said: “They have some exciting plans to take the theatre forward and their experience shows they can deliver the vision we have”.