Proposals for a new world-class concert hall in London appear to be back on track after the City of London Corporation agreed to replace money withdrawn by the government.
The scheme, costed at £278m, appeared derailed in November when the government unexpectedly announced it was withdrawing money it had pledged for a detailed business case to be made.
On Thursday the City said it would be provide the money, up to £2.5m, needed to complete it.
The new building would be erected on a site next to the Barbican currently occupied by the Museum of London, which is moving to Smithfield market. The hall would become the new home of the London Symphony Orchestra under the artistic leadership of Sir Simon Rattle.
Mark Boleat, the City’s policy chairman, said: “This decision re-affirms our commitment to transform the area surrounding the Barbican into a world-leading cultural hub for the arts, heritage and learning. We have a long history as a leading investor in the arts and we recognise that culture – open and available to all – is what attracts people to visit, work and live in London and the UK.”
The hall’s supporters say London desperately needs a new concert hall or risks falling behind other cities, both inside and outside the UK.
It would also be more than a concert hall. Called the Centre for Music, it would have an ambitious educational dimension “to bring music-making to the widest possible audience”.
Neither the Barbican nor the Royal Festival Hall are considered acoustically to be in the top rank of world concert halls, but creating a new one does not come cheap or without risks.
Hamburg’s dazzling Elbphilharmonie opened this week seven years late and eye-spinningly over budget. Its cost was originally estimated at €77m (£67m). It finally cost €789m.
The new London hall’s detractors say there are better things to spend such vast amounts of money on and point to the first-rate halls in Gateshead, Birmingham and Edinburgh.
When the government announced it was pulling the £5.5m it had pledged – of which £1.25m had been spent – it said the scheme did not offer value for money for taxpayers and was not affordable.
The City decision is a sign that the hall’s supporters believe it can be built, even without government money.
In a statement, the project’s leading partners, the Barbican Centre, London Symphony Orchestra and Guildhall School of Music and Drama, said: “We are very pleased that the City of London Corporation has agreed to provide funding to complete a detailed business case for an outstanding Centre for Music in the Square Mile.
“Our vision and drive to deliver a world-class centre for the 21st century that provides access to great music to the widest possible audience remains unchanged, and we are looking forward to working with the City of London Corporation to explore how this vision could potentially become a reality.”