The first instalment of the planned £43 million theatre in the St Andrew’s Park development stands at £5 million and is included in the 2016/17 council budget, but in the very same meeting it was announced that cuts would be made to grants for aspiring arts students.
Last month saw the annual Hillingdon Council budget meeting, debate between the two sides as the coming year’s expenditure and savings were outlined and discussed.
The development of St Andrew’s Park, an area just a few minutes away from Uxbridge town centre and on the site of the town’s former RAF base, was a focal point of the debate due to its hosting of over one thousand new homes, a new primary school and crucially, a £43 million theatre.
Councillor Jonathan Bianco of Hillingdon Conservatives stated that the theatre, to be built over the next two years, “is a statement of our commitment not just to provide the basic services that we know our residents expect but also as a beacon to our commitment to the arts in the borough.”
The addition of a theatre is not surprising; Brunel University has a popular and well-celebrated performing arts department, and the future of the arts in Britain has been under threat due to cuts in the past few years from central government, so there has been pressure for investment.
Grant Peterson, a lecturer of Theatre at Brunel, sees the benefits of a new performance space.
“Theatre hasn’t been well supported or maintained in the area, evidenced by the struggling theatres around Hillingdon, but this could be a great opportunity for student placements and it could galvanise arts in the whole community.”
For many residents, it is difficult to see a flaw in the plans for a new space to showcase talent in the borough, but as discussed by opposition Councillor Tony Eginton, there are simultaneous cuts to grants for aspiring artists.
A lonely chair on stage
“Although I believe the amounts are relatively modest, these grants have provided support and encouragement to local people. They’ve also enhanced the local vibrancy of the borough.”
Councillor Eginton was also quick to highlight the irony of the timing of the cuts, discussed within minutes of the proud announcement of the first instalment towards the theatre.
Fiona Porritt graduated from Brunel University with a first class degree in Theatre, and is concerned at the cuts that allow people like her to study to be an artist.
“I think that the arts are put low on people’s agendas but it’s important to spend money. Theatre has been used for thousands of years to boost morale and it’s important to nurture people’s interests.”
It remains to be seen what impact the cuts will have, but Hillingdon Arts Association have already collected a large number of signatures for their petition to prevent the cuts to crucial grants that allow theatre companies and individuals to work on arts projects.
