Eden Court’s investigations into the possibility of expanding its main theatre to accommodate blockbuster shows was welcomed yesterday by Highland councillors.
They agreed to the council contributing £30,000 towards a feasibility study into the expansion and redevelopment of the Empire Theatre to accommodate 1,140 people instead of the current 840 capacity.
The council money will be matched by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) and carries on from earlier work by HIE and the Inverness Common Good Fund to support the future vision for the theatre.
Opposition councillors Ian Cockburn and Bill Boyd questioned why the money was coming from the development and infrastructure budget, rather than the Common Good Fund, Eden Court itself or the arts budget.
Mr Boyd said: “Eden Court is the biggest employer in my ward, providing the equivalent of 200 full time jobs and proving service throughout whole of region.
“It’s not difficult to support the proposal, but it would be more appropriate to use the arts budget.”
The councillors were told that the Common Good fund was unable to put more money into the study, while Eden Court staff were carrying out major work on the proposal themselves, and the feasibility study concerned infrastructure, rather than something specifically for the arts budget.
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Cllr Allan Henderson said: “Eden Court’s contribution to the local economy is significant, but it needs to improve its financial sustainability and become more commercially viable.
“This study will assess in detail proposals to increase the capacity of the main auditorium, so the theatre can be in a position to attract larger shows and grow its audiences.”