Neptune Theatre _300
THE battle over the future of Liverpool’s much loved Neptune theatre is finally over.
Liverpool city council and the building’s leaseholder agreed a deal that secures the theatre for the next 12 years.
The council owns the Hanover Street building but leased it to the property firm Hanover Estates.
They were locked in negotiations over both an extension of Hanover’s lease and a new agreement for the council to rent back the theatre, which is only part of the historic building.
The dispute meant vital refurbishment works in the theatre could not go ahead and it remained mothballed.
But council leader Joe Anderson and Hanover managing director David Ramsey have settled on terms that will see the theatre re-open as a community performance space.
After agreeing the deal Cllr Anderson said: “The re-opening of the Neptune has long been one of my personal priorities – and completing this deal has brought it another step closer to reality.
