Brand new theatre for Andover

Andover is set to take centre stage with plans to construct a brand new theatre. The theatre will be a pivotal part of the future vision for town centre, as set out in the Andover Masterplan. The new venue will be transformational for the area, supporting local businesses, bringing communities together, providing a range of entertainment and celebrating creativity.

The need for a new theatre was first identified during the development of the Masterplan, where more than 4,100 people contributed their thoughts about the future changes they wanted to see in the town. The results from this widespread public engagement showed that almost 80% of Andover residents highlighted the need for a new theatre.

The town’s current theatre, The Lights, delivers a varied programme of shows each year and offers facilities such as meeting spaces, studios and a café. However over time the popularity of the theatre has meant that it is now oversubscribed and needs to expand to continue to meet the demands of the community.

Since the adoption of the Masterplan we have been moving forward with our plans to construct a new home for the Lights. To bring us closer to lifting the stage curtain, Andover has recently been awarded £18.3m from round three of the Government's Levelling Up Fund and some of this funding will be used to construct the new theatre.

Being in a strong financial position, we have allocated £3.74m to put towards architect and technical services and, in addition to the Levelling Up Funding received, have approved a funding package to progress our regeneration plans. This is an incredibly exciting time for the town and we are now working hard to put this significant project in motion.

The venue will be situated at the entrance to the Chantry Centre, in what was previously the Poundstretcher unit. The unit was originally built and designed for commercial purposes and is a concrete structure with pillars. In order to give Andover a state-of-the-art theatre with a multi-level auditorium, the existing unit must be demolished to allow for the development of a completely new building. 

Take a look at the proposals for Andover’s new theatre

The new venue will be located at the entrance to the Chantry Centre and will offer modern facilities including a state-of-the-art multi-level auditorium, a separate performance and event space, a range of studios, meeting rooms and cafes/bars.

Location

The new venue will be well positioned at the top of the High Street, opposite the Guildhall, and will be central to the long-term vision for Andover. Moving The Lights into the new location will:

• Enhance the town's daytime and evening economy

• Revitalise the High Street

• Connect different groups and organisations

• Offer modern spaces for creativity

• Encourage people into Andover to support local businesses

• Provide new community spaces

• Seat more than 400 audience members in a larger auditorium

The current Lights theatre will continue to operate as normal until the new theatre is ready to open and we look forward to welcoming audiences into the venue in 2027.

A lot of work is now underway to prepare for bringing this project to life, along with other aspects of the town centre masterplan, such as the development of a riverside park alongside the River Anton at Western Avenue. Both projects will take time to complete, and we will be able to share more updates as they progress. 

If you would like to keep up to date with what’s happening, you can sign up to receive our regeneration email newsletter here:  Test Valley Borough Council - Andover town centre regeneration (govdelivery.com)