Major site works for the Theatre Royal and Museum kick off next week with the demolition on Barnard Street.

The public carpark on Barnard Street will close for several months from Saturday to allow for the work, which will create access to the Back of House for the building works.

When the facility is finished the area will be used for parking and loading dock access for the theatre and museum well as creating car parking for the facility.

Demolition work on the building beside the main hall will begin on Monday followed by the Army Hall at the end of the month. The former shops on 126-128 Stafford Street will be the last to go at the end of August.

The demolition process, which is being undertaken by Rooney Earthmoving, is anticipated to take approximately two and a half to three months

Timaru District council Manager of Property Services Nicole Timney said that demolishing the buildings was a major milestone in the project.

“Demolishing these buildings to improve the access to the back of house is a necessary part of the development,” she said.

“It will give the Timaru the ability to host more touring productions and exhibitions by facilitating a fast and efficient pack in and pack out for touring and local groups.”

In September 2020, Timaru District Council gave the Green light to the redevelopment of the Theatre Royal with the co-location of a heritage facility. The project has two goals – to upgrade our existing facilities and elevate arts, culture and heritage within the District.

The project architect Architectus is currently in the second design phase and is due to present to council in the second half of the year. Council adopted the first phase Concept Plans on May 11. These can be found on the Timaru district website https://www.timaru.govt.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/529825/FINAL_-THRF-Concept-Plans-for-media-release.pdf

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