Friends of Ryde Town Hall (FORTH) has released a comprehensive white paper about a possible future for the derelict Ryde Town Hall & Theatre. Entitled The FORTH Report, it’s supported by a substantial public survey and many months of community engagement. This in-depth document features illustrative graphs that outline survey results and a detailed vision for the building’s future. In June 2023, FORTH distributed a survey asking residents how they would like to see the building utilised in the future. By October 2023 they had received 1,086 completed surveys. FORTH also hosted 3 stakeholder meetings where they invited local business, charity, arts and cultural leaders to hear about latest developments and take the opportunity to share their views. FORTH’s community engagement and the survey indicate that a substantial number of residents and local leaders are keen to see the building transformed into an arts and cultural hub, much like The ARC Winchester, Trowbridge Town Hall and other similar arts centres across the country that, among other things, attract people into town centres, supplying business owners with much-welcomed footfall. Ryde has already been awarded millions of pounds to create a similar arts-based hub at Department – the former Elizabeth Packs store – and Ryde Town Council are in the process of purchasing the former Natwest Bank, with suggestions of an arts space inside that building too. Zoe Barker, Chair of the FORTH Committee, says:
“FORTH was encouraged by national grant funders to ‘get stuck in’ to substantive conversations with local people about Ryde Town Hall. We were told if we could demonstrate a collaborative, realistic and community-led vision, the project would have a better chance of securing the grant funding necessary to return the building to public use. And with The FORTH Report we hope we’ve achieved that aim”.
Annmarie Bowler, Secretary of the FORTH Committee, adds:
“Since we were founded in November 2021, we’ve been on what we call a ‘Listening Tour’ and what grant funders call consultations. We’ve listened to and documented the thoughts, ideas and concerns of hundreds of local people and organisations, integrating them into the foundation of the Report”.
FORTH is encouraging local councils, Ryde and the Isle of Wight, as well as the Town Board that will be established to manage the latest Levelling Up Funding for Ryde, to use The FORTH Report as a guide to inspire and inform their approach to the Town Hall project. Zoe adds:
“We encourage everyone to read the report. It’s the work of our entire community and would not have been possible without the input and expertise of so many local people. “We hope local leaders and funders will hear what residents have to say and work with us on pursuing this vision that’s shared and supported by the local community.”
The whitepaper can be downloaded at https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/24434164/forthreport_feb2024.pdf.
Sell it to Premier Inns. With our local council twiddling their thumbs never making a decisive decision.
“a substantial number of residents and local leaders are keen to see the building transformed” – I always get suspicious when a percentage is not cited.
Ryde is not big enough to sustain an arts centre and the island is only big enough to sustain one, and that is in Newport. Clearly, the old town hall is massive and would cost a fortune to remodel and maintain. If this group get funding, they will either run out of money before completion or burn cash for a few years subsidising a non-viable arts centre, and then close down. This has happened in many towns and cities. Arts centres need a lot of use and income to be sustainable. The begging bowl will eventually be ignored.
How about turning it into a “Museum of the Isle of Wight” if you need tourists then it might entice a few people over. Start with how it was way back to how it is now, people would arrive excited to see how nice the place was and leave depressed with the council cutbacks and all the dodgy goings on, they certainly wouldn’t forget the visit.
If want tourists, build a tunnel to mainland.. simples… Then the Island would become a rich place again..
You start digging and let us know when you are finished.
Ryde has already been awarded millions of pounds to create a similar arts-based hub at Department – the former Elizabeth Packs store – and Ryde Town Council are in the process of purchasing the former Natwest Bank, with suggestions of an arts space inside that building too.
I would feel a third Arts based building would be taking it far too far!!
Neither of the two “arts” spaces that you mention seem to be for performances. They are just galleries, studios, and rooms for arty farty darlings to prance around like they are something special until the funding runs out. A sustainable arts centre needs to put on shows (music, comedy, whatever), provide courses, and serve food and drink. Not easy and would need a lot of footfall to break even. Can’t see this ever flying. The town hall is just too big and expensive to run.
Maybe it would be better to turn it into a poor house and get people on benefits in there doing some mindless work for their handouts.
Shanklin theatre is a great example of a community pulling together to create a success a bigger town like Ryde should be able to do the same, come on Ryde get behind this project and put the pride back into Ryde .
Shanklin Theatre and its tedious schedule of lame tribute acts. Be careful what you wish for.
A series of apartments seems a sensible option,maybe a hotel ? Better maybe than allowing this fine structure to meet the inevitable insurance ‘activist’ ?
Not so long ago Ryde Theatre was in great condition
If the council had installed proper security, the wanton vandalism and arson would not have occurred. They are to blame for the current condition of this listed building. Now we would see massive bills to restore the theatre.
So we now have three projects vying for funding.
My solution would be 1, fund the restoration of the theatre with art’s facilities. 2, replace the department store with affordable/council housing, this could be a joint private/government funded project. 3, Put the bank on the market, hopefully a developer would retain the distinctive building, but not a deal breaker.
Err … what about the town hall?