Theatre rebuild gets cash boost

The new theatre will cost £17m

Belfast's Lyric theatre has been given a grant of more than £1m from Belfast City Council.

The £1,250,000 - from a £3m fund for cultural development - was voted through by a committee, and has now been agreed by the full council.

The old building is due to close this month for the £17m redevelopment, but before construction begins 95% of the cost had to have been raised.

The new Lyric is to be built on the site of the current theatre.

It sit on the banks of the River Lagan in the Stranmillis area of south Belfast.

In November, the theatre was given £250,000 by the Foundation for Sport and the Arts.

In June, a private donor pledged £1m on top of the funding already promised by government departments.