黑洞社区

Cultural projects by Burrell Foley Fischer and Helm Architecture both received cash handouts in the Budget.

George Osborne promised 拢2m towards BFF鈥檚 拢18m redevelopment of Truro鈥檚 Hall for Cornwall which is about to go in for planning.

And the chancellor also announced a 拢5m fillip for a 拢20m plan to build a replica of Inigo Jones鈥� 1629 Cockpit Theatre in the Merseyside town of Prescot.

The 350-seat theatre will rise on the site of the 17^th-century Prescot Playhouse which had links to Shakespeare. It will form part of a bigger cultural and education centre called Shakespeare North, designed with Austin Smith Lord, which is due to be considered by Knowsley planners next month. The council - which is in charge of the fifth most deprived distrrict in the country - pledged 拢6 million to the project a few days ago.

Architect Nicholas Helm of Helm Architecture, who has been working on the project since 1997, told 黑洞社区鈥檚 sister title BD the chancellor鈥檚 announcement was a gamechanger.

鈥淚t makes it real,鈥� he said. 鈥淐entral government support means it will happen now.鈥�

Meanwhile, Mark Foley, a principal at Burrell Foley Fischer, welcomed Osborne鈥檚 announcement about the Hall for Cornwall as 鈥渞eally encouraging鈥� at a time when funding for cultural projects was more precarious than ever. It coincided with news that a bid for European funding has also been successful.

The project will gut the 19^th-century market building which was converted into a 900-seat theatre in the 1990s. The granite walls will be revealed and views right through from the foyer into an enlarged auditorium introduced.

Foley said the intention was to create a major regional arts venue.