News update 15 November 2012
Supporting the Bid
At the end of November, the Alexandra Palace Charitable Trust will be submitting a bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund for a total of £18 million to fund the complex repairs, refurbishment, and fitting out of the Theatre and the historic TV Studios (world's first regular broadcasts) and their opening to the public for multiple uses. Together, the recovery of these lost facilities will help catalyse the transformation of the whole of Alexandra Palace. The letter supporting the bid from the Chair on behalf of the Friends of the Alexandra Palace Theatre is below.
Friends of the Alexandra Palace Theatre
CEO, Alexandra Palace
Nigel Willmott
Chair
News update 16 September 2012
Update on AP redevelopment consultation
Alexandra Palace's consultation (see also below) is now closed, but thank you to everyone who responded.
There were over 2000 responses. The theatre gained an incredible level of support, not just from Friends of the Theatre, but from the wider public. Over 1200 people said the theatre was the part of the Palace they most wanted to see open and working again. This is a fantastic result for the Friends, and will be an important factor in the bid for funding to be submitted by AP later this year to the Heritage Lottery Fund. We'll be reporting more on all of this in future newsletters.
News update 29 June 2012
Alexandra Palace redevelopment consultation
Dear Member
These are exciting times for Alexandra Palace and its Victorian theatre. For the first time in the 10 years since Friends of the Alexandra Palace Theatre was set up, there is a real chance of sympathetic development of the Palace and Park. A regeneration project to revive the fortunes of Alexandra Palace is now well under way, led by the Alexandra Palace Charitable Trust and fully backed by Haringey Council, the trustee of the charity.
Considerable work has been already done to set out the framework for regeneration. There will be three main areas for development. First, to shore up and expand the commercial activity of the Palace, based on the western end and the Great and West halls, improving the facilities for concerts and music, which is becoming the anchor activity.
Second, to develop a hotel and restaurant complex on the site now occupied by the temporary Panorama Room - as was originally envisaged when the Palace was rebuilt after the 1980 fire.
And third, to bring back in use the derelict areas at the east of the building, the Theatre and former BBC studios block and the basements. This will be both for commercial uses, but also they will be the main focus for community and educational uses of the Palace. These will be very important in accessing grants and lottery funds for part of the necessary investment.
Here is where you as a supporter of Friends of the Theatre come in. Alexandra Palace is currently conducting an extensive consultation of its outline plans, to gauge people's support and invite their comments. The size of the response and level of support will greatly strengthen their ability to advance the case for regeneration.
And more particularly, a show of enthusiastic support for refurbishing and bringing back into use the theatre will immeasurably improve prospects for an outline bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund for the theatre in November. Ideas and comments will be gratefully received.
So PLEASE FILL IN THE CONSULTATION FORM and and encourage others to do so if you can. The forms are available online here (or link in full: http://www.alexandrapalace.com/about-us/regeneration/). Paper forms are also available at the Palace, along with displays and further information on the regeneration project, and forms at local libraries and community spaces.
This is a once in a generation chance. Help make sure it is not missed.
Nigel Willmott
Chair, on behalf of the Friends of the Alexandra Palace Theatre committee
News update June 2011
Our thanks to All Tomorrow's Parties
All Tomorrow's Parties is a concert promoter that ran an unusual as well as large event over the weekend of Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th June 2011. Taking over numerous spaces in Alexandra Palace, the event included films about London and Alexandra Palace along with performances by multiple bands in areas small and large including the West and Great Halls.
In the lead-up to the two events, on Thursday 23rd June 2011 ATP held a special fundraiser event at the Music Palace, Crouch End (N8 9BT) http://www.musicpalacecrouchend.co.uk/. All profits were given to the Friends Of Alexandra Palace Theatre. Info here: http://www.atpfestival.com/events/crouchbenefit.php
We were and remain very grateful for this generosity.