Venue revamp could see average ticket prices double

Average ticket prices could double for a city venue after it undergoes a £26.5m refurbishment.

The Corn Exchange in Cambridge is set to be redeveloped as part of the wider £97.5m Civic Quarter project, which aims to revitalise the city centre.

Performances at the venue are estimated to increase from 180 a year to 340, with average ticket prices for council-run events set to rise from £24 plus VAT to £50 or more with VAT in year five of the new venue's opening.

Labour councillor Beth Gardiner-Smith said: "What I don't think we want to see, but maybe others would disagree, is that people across Cambridge are priced out of going to events on a regular basis at the Corn Exchange."

She added: "It's a public venue for a purpose and it's all part of this idea that we are creating a public realm and a civic space for our community and therefore we want tickets and events to remain affordable wherever possible."

The authority said the price increase would only apply for events they self-promote and that a larger amount of their income came from hiring the venue out, when they do not have control of ticket prices.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, council officers said income from the venue would help fund the rest of the Civic Quarter scheme.

More than £50m was earmarked for improvements to the Guildhall, with £26.5m allocated for the Corn Exchange and £13.6m for the Market Square as part of the Civic Quarter scheme.

The Corn Exchange restoration would see upgrades to the main auditorium, improvements to foyers and bar areas, improved seating, acoustics, sound quality and lighting.

A report to the authority's performance, assets and strategy overview and scrutiny committee on Tuesday said a revived site would act "as the catalyst for a renewed arts and culture scene in Cambridge drawing on its roots which saw it at the forefront of the changing trends in the UK's music scene".

Chair of the committee Liberal Democrat councillor Karen Young said: "I'm hearing a lot of concern about the public not being priced out so we will pass that message onto cabinet."

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