UK venue to open for first time since Covid

A UK venue that once hosted legends such as The Beatles, David Bowie and Led Zeppelin is set to reopen for the first time since the pandemic.

Wiltshire Council has agreed a 25-year lease with the management team behind Swindon’s 2,000-cap Music Entertainment Culture and Arts (MECA) to run the City Hall in Salisbury following a “long process” to find a new operator.

The company is taking over full operation of the 1,255-cap City Hall, which will reopen later this year.

“We are delighted to have been given this opportunity and cannot wait to get started,” says Justin Britchford, director of MECA and Salisbury City Hall Limited. “Wiltshire Council has worked tirelessly with us to make sure the venue will be a roaring success. We have some great plans for the venue and have listened to people’s views on what they have missed the most while it has been closed.

“Today marks the start of a new era for City Hall”

“We are working closely with local people to tap into their wealth of knowledge about City Hall and the surrounding area and have recruited some local managers to run the venue that have years of experience in similar venues.”

The council is currently in the process of carrying out repairs and maintenance to the external fabric of the building, which opened in 1961 and was used as a Covid-19 mass vaccination centre from late 2020 to early 2023.

Following a market engagement process, the authority worked with Savills to formally market City Hall to prospective tenants and identified MECA as the preferred operator. The MECA team also plans to carry out its own work to improve the overall customer experience at the venue.

“Justin and his team have the passion, experience and expertise to ensure City Hall will retain its proud standing in the community and complement all the great things the city has to offer,” adds Wiltshire Council corporate director for place, Parvis Khansari. “Today marks the start of a new era for City Hall and when it re-opens its doors, I’m sure the city and wider area will come out and support it once again.”

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