Desborough Theatre to get £2 million refurbishment

The Royal Borough will spend £2million ‘to refurbish and improve’ Desborough Theatre, it has confirmed.

The theatre is located in the Town Hall and hosts plays, pantomimes and shows throughout the year.

Cllr Samantha Rayner (Con, Eton Wick), cabinet member for culture and communities, said: “Originally the council had allocated £650,000 to refurbishment and then we commissioned a report from [management consultants] Fourth Street and had a lot of feedback from community groups, and arts and theatre groups in Maidenhead.

“It was decided a larger refurbishment was the best possible solution for Desborough and would compliment the other arts and heritage we have.”

A spokeswoman from the Royal Borough added: “To ensure our residents can continue to benefit from Desborough theatre now and in the future we will be committing £2 million to refurbish and improve the theatre.

“We will also be applying to the Arts Council to seek further funding for this important community asset.”

Details of the revamped suite are yet to be decided but Cllr Rayner confirmed it will have a new entrance separating it from the town hall.

Cllr Rayner described arts and heritage in Maidenhead as ‘incredibly important’.

She said: “We’re very passionate about arts and culture in Maidenhead and since being cabinet member for culture and communities I have seen there are always events on and things to go and see, and so much vibrancy in the town, it really does bring everyone together.”

“It gives Maidenhead a heart – people don’t just want to see homes, they want a community,” she added.

However Cllr Claire Stretton (The Borough First, Boyn Hill) was not clear when the work would be done.

She said: “It’s not surprising that the sum of £2million has been identified as the amount that needs to be spent to improve the Desborough Theatre, however there is no money in the budget for the next three years to do it.”

“In order to make the Desborough Theatre a stand-alone, useful venue, it probably needs twice the amount of money spent on it.”