Royal Hall Supplemental Study
Preferred Strategy: Key Characteristics

1.0 OBJECTIVES

1.1 The key components of the strategy which the Design Team and the Study Management Group have devised have been based around four key criteria:

• carrying out essential structural repairs and waterproofing;
   
• maximising public access and usage;
   
• providing a basis for further restoration work as and when funds become available;
   
• containing risk and the possibility of the contract costs overrunning.
  

2.0 LIKELY SHAPE OF THE SCHEME

2.1 This approach and the budget limit (which cannot be exceeded) gives a scheme which, subject to further detailed design and costing analysis, is likely (but not certain) to contain the following:

• a repair of the structure across all of the building, including the front pediment and the rear ambulatory area;
   
• weatherproofing and a rainwater strategy which will prevent future water ingress;
   
• a basic level of heating and ventilation which will overcome the systemic condensation problems experienced for much of its life;
   
• works to the rear of the stage to allow stage to be used again;
   
  • improved access for those with disabilities to the north and south corridors, grand circle and stage;
     
  • improved toilets and first aid accommodation;
     
  • new seats in the Grand Hall and Grand Circle;
     
  • limited interpretive heritage displays for public and educational use;
     
• decorative repairs only throughout front-of-house areas.

2.2 These works, if achievable within the budget, will allow the building to be used for the following:

• access to the Grand Hall and Grand Circle for stage performances;
   
• access to these and the north and south corridors;
   
• access for public viewing of the main auditorium, foyers and Grand Circle;
   
• access to the stage for productions similar to those pre-2001;
   
• re-use of the basement dressing rooms, though with only limited facilities;
   
• possible public access to the ambulatory, though possibly only limited access to the rear terrace;
   
• public viewing of an interpretive heritage display which traces the history of the building.

2.3 It is expected therefore that the building will be reusable once again for community type entertainment and arts purposes, for conferences and for commercial entertainment. Additionally, the building should be open for the public to view over most of the ground floor area.

2.4 If there are early cost overruns or tender prices exceed expectations, the order of priority of works, to stay within the budget, will be:

(a) Structural repairs and weatherproofing
(b) Access for the Grand Circle and Grand Hall
(c) Enabling of the stage
(d) Access to the rear ambulatory

and not all of these therefore would be achieved if costs prove more expensive than forecast

2.5 The preferred strategy will not however allow, at this stage, the following:

• any access to or use of the upper circle (except technical crew). This will mean the capacity of the hall is reduced at this stage to c800 (cf 1,200 pre-2001);
   
• (The strategy does however envisage the provision of a lift shaft which will enable subsequent restoration of the upper circle and heritage lounge should funds become available at a later date.)
   
• an enlarged Stage House, with little or no possibility that this will be possible at a future date;
   
• permanent bar; the use of bottle bars on the north and south corridors will be necessary as a substitute;
   
  (The installation and reintroduction of a period bar is likely to be a possible discrete subsequent project.)
   
• improvements to access, layout and efficiency of the basement rooms;
   
• authentic redecoration of the auditorium and other front-of-house areas;
   
  (A possible further restoration project as an when funds are made available.)
   
• re-introduction of period seating;
   
• widening of the stage performance offering (eg: opera).

3.0 DEALING WITH RISK

3.1 The approach to risk management has assumed higher profile because of the necessarily limited scope of the revised study. The risk allowance presently built into the budget totals £1.63m. This is c31% of the construction budget including preliminaries. Further work on the risk register to isolate and mitigate risk further will take place during the next few weeks as the strategy is turned into a realistic second stage submission for the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

4.0 PROCUREMENT

4.1 Work has been carried out on developing an appropriate procurement path. An effective means of procuring a contractor can in itself help to mitigate risk. A two-stage tender process is being developed in order to allow the early appointment of a contractor to feed a “buildability angle” into the final stages of the design process. If the contractor is familiar with the scheme proposals and the context in which they must be implemented, it will improve the scope to provide greater cost certainty. The procurement path also envisages an open book arrangement, with the Council having full opportunity to vet any and all subcontractor appointments.

4.2 A further step being developed is to tender the scope of works on an incremental basis, with initial packages being sufficiently large to ensure that a contractor can achieve economies of scale but with sufficient reserve to cater for any cost increases during construction above and beyond the project contingency.

5.0 PROGRAMME

5.1 A provisional project programme has been devised, the key milestones being:

2004

• October: preferred strategy agreed
   
• October/November: informal discussions with user groups
   
• 18th November: Final draft proposal for consideration by Council and HLF considered by Study Management Group
   
• 26th November: Draft HLF report issued
   
• Mid December: consideration by Council
   
• December 24th: submission of revised Stage 2 bid to HLF

2005

• Late January 2005: HLF Trustees meet to consider revised submission
   
• April 2005: tenders issued
   
• May 2005: Contractor appointed
   
• September 2005: Stage 2 tender agreed
   
• October 2005: start on site

2007

• January 2007: commissioning
   
• March 2007: formal opening