Local people revive bid to restore Gloucester theatre

Plans to restore a derelict theatre in Gloucester have been revived after an initial offer by Gloucester Arts Council for a 99-year lease on the building fell through. A fresh offer has been made, with a view to developing the theatre, selling shares in it to the people of Gloucester, and building an arts centre next door. The 1923 Picturedrome, which originally opened as a cinema with 600 seats, was last used in 2014 and is “close to not being retrievable” unless restoration work begins soon.