Deal sealed on Victoria Theatre
July 14, 2006

North Shore City Council has bought Victoria Theatre in Devonport for $1.55m, and temporarily closed it to make safety improvements.

The $1.55m purchase price was made up of $1m of council loan funding and $495,000 from the Narrowneck Endowment fund.

Until the council owned the building, work including re-wiring and repairing a leak in the roof could not be carried out. The work is expected to take two months and cost $18,000.

North Shore City community liaison manager, Lisa Tocker, says the urgent work on the building had already been budgeted for.

"A condition assessment was done before the purchase, and now we're working through that list of things that need to be done to make it safe," she says.

"Our aim is to get the work done as quickly as possible so it can continue to be hired as a venue, and people can enjoy events there."

North Shore City Council decided to buy Victoria Theatre to preserve the building's heritage value, and after public consultation showed support for its purchase.

It was purpose-built as a cinema in 1912, but it was a major alteration in 1929 that gave Victoria Theatre its current distinctive appearance.

The council will keep the land, and a tender process will decide who will take over the ownership, maintenance and operation of the building for commercial or community use.

A registration of interest and selected tender process will take place later this year.

In the meantime, enquiries about bookings at Victoria Theatre - after the health and safety work is completed - should be directed to Lisa Tocker.

For a list of elected members, people are invited to visit the council's website, www.northshorecity.govt.nz.

ENDS

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