Lower grant hits arts centre move

Parts of the Grade II-listed building are not accessible by wheelchair

Relocation plans for Plymouth Arts Centre have been affected after it was granted much less than it applied for in government funding.

The Sea Change initiative is to give the centre £100,000. But the centre had applied for £4m to fund a move from The Barbican to the Hoe.

Sea Change said the money could be used to develop plans for relocation.

Local disabled user groups said they were disappointed because they had long campaigned for better accessibility.

Basic access

The centre, a Grade II-listed 18th Century town house in Looe Street, was opened in 1948. Some of its rooms are currently inaccessible by wheelchair.

It had been hoping to move into more accessible premises in the Millbay area of the city.

Ann Pointon, co-chairwoman of the board of trustees of Kaleido, a disability arts agency for the south-west of England, said it was a disappointing decision for many people who wanted to use the centre.

She said: "This is a publically-funded building and under legislation it needs to have basic access and it just doesn't have that.

"We're talking about a community resource and somewhere you expect all visitors to have access."

The Sea Change programme aims to regenerate rundown coastal resorts through culture and heritage.