West End's Westminster Theatre Re-Launch Delayed Until 2011

Reports from across the pond have confirmed that the massive rebuilding plans for the West End's Westminster Theatre will be delayed until 2011.  The cause for the delay, according to The Stage is stalled legal negotiations with the theater's developer.

Permission to rebuild the theater, that closed in 2002 and later burned down, into a new Menier Chocolate Factory-style venue was granted in May after plans to turn the site into a lot of flats was abandoned and the plan B, which involved rebuilding the venue into the UK's first black-led theatre operated by the Talawa theater company dissolved due to a removal of funding after internal problems at Talawa arose.  The initial plans for the new space had anticipated a mid-2010 opening. 

Reports The Stage, the hang-ups involve two issues.  The Stage writes "These require the developer of the site, which also includes residential apartments, to make an affordable housing payment of £834,000 and to put down a £5 million deposit or bond to finance the fitting out of the theatre.
It is understood that the developer wants the affordable housing payment to be put towards the theatre fit-out and, in the current economic climate, is finding it difficult to provide £5 million up front for this...The situation is exacerbated by the fact that the developer is not allowed to sell a number of the remaining residential properties on site until the theatre is complete."

To read the full report from The Stage, click here.