THE Opera House is to remain closed for another two years – its planned reopening next summer delayed by 16 months after serious defects were discovered in its roof.
Economic Development Minister Kirsten Morel confirmed that £11.5 million in the Government Plan – which the States will be asked to approve in December – will allow for a new roof, and for other critical maintenance not included in a refurbishment scheduled for early next year.
But it means that the theatre is now not expected to reopen before the end of 2024, almost five years after its last public performance.
‘As the building has been investigated, we have discovered more work that needs to be done.
‘The single biggest issue is the roof and we had the choice to re-open next summer, but if we did we would then have to close it again in the near future to complete work on the roof,’ Deputy Morel explained.
He said he completely understood Islanders’ frustration about the continuing closure of Jersey’s largest theatre, but added discussions taking place about the future relationship between the government and the Opera House would include consideration of ongoing maintenance funding, so that they did not find themselves in the same situation again.
In spite of the fact that an independent company has been running the theatre since its reopening in 2000, there has been no agreement with the government over responsibility for the fabric of the States-owned building.
Deputy Morel acknowledged that the theatre ‘had not been maintained properly for 20 years’.
Jersey Opera House Limited chairman Pierre Horsfall welcomed news of a full refurbishment.
‘The Opera House is a much-loved venue, not only in the performing arts community but for all Islanders. A great deal of work has been happening behind the scenes to reach this point and I am delighted to see the government commit to providing this much-needed funding,’ he said.
Meanwhile, Deputy Morel has written to the Jersey Arts Centre, which was told earlier this year that it would lose £2.9m allocated for maintenance of its Phillips Street premises because procurement delays meant that the work no longer qualified for the Fiscal Stimulus Fund.
Now efforts are to be made to secure the funding from other sources in 2024. This would allow the replacement of key aspects of the Arts Centre’s electrical systems and other infrastructure dating from its opening in the 1980s. Deputy Morel has offered to provide £150,000 from his department’s 2023 budget to allow the works to be scoped out next year.
While the building remains closed, Deputy Morel said he was hopeful that the Opera House would offer an artistic programme at other venues, organised by an interim director who was likely to be appointed later this year. Such a programme could run from mid-2023 onwards, he explained.
The government has also published a report into the future use of the Opera House, providing proposals as to its future use. Deputy Morel said: ‘Jersey has a wide range of venues and we want to ensure that the Opera House plays a key role as a vital platform and hub for sector development. This report provides us with options which will be considered over time with the industry.’
