Could city centre theatre be on the cards?

Report says new 1,200 seat entertainment venue is feasible - but will need private cash

Exeter could get a new entertainment venue in the city centre, on the site of the current Corn Exchange.

Campaigners have long fought for a theatre in the city centre. The last major one, the Theatre Royal, closed in 1962 (a much earlier Theatre Royal in Longbrook Street, burned down in 1887, killing 186 people).

The Corn Exchange can seat about 500 people. The Northcott Theatre, about a mile out of town on the university campus, holds about 440. These medium-sized theatres can't hold some of the country's largest touring productions. Boutique Bike Shed Theatre has 99 seats and produces and receives new work.

The Corn Exchange and buildings around it are owned by Exeter City Council. Some people think the post-war brutalist style should be preserved for its artistic value and that future generations will not forgive the burghers of Exeter for pulling them down. Others believe they're simply ugly and impractical for modern uses.

The new report, commissioned by the council from independent experts, says it's unlikely that public funds will be able to meet the costs of a new venue. Some private cash will be needed.

So although the news that such a large entertainment venue is possible for the city, it's by no means certain if, or when, it will ever be built.