Historic theatre restoration plan

The theatre was closed in 1997, and will take years to restore

The historic Tivoli Theatre in Aberdeen has a new owner who has ambitious plans to reopen it as a theatre, BBC Scotland has learned.

The building, built in 1872, has been deteriorating since it closed its doors for the last time in 1997.

The last live show was in 1966 and it limped on as a bingo hall for a while.

Businessman Brian Hendry has bought the venue and hopes to spend about £5m over the next three years to restore it to its former glory.

Mr Hendry said: "We are going to bring it back to a theatre that's not going to rival His Majesty's Theatre, which is a wonderful theatre.

"We think there is a niche in the market for a mid-size theatre, and we hope local people all get involved."

He bought the theatre from builder Tony Donald, who had owned it since 2000.

'Great news'

Mr Hendry added: "More variety, one-man shows, local artists. We think it will be an excellent mid-sized venue."

Work could start in September and it is expected to be two to three years before the Tivoli is re-opened.

The Tivoli Theatre Trust has been working to see new life breathed into the venue for some time, and the news of its sale has been welcomed.

The trust's Celia Walker said: "I think it's great news for the Tivoli because it means work will be able to start much earlier we than we would have been able to start."

She added the "wonderful" building has been deteriorating recently, but that it "does have a tremendous number of supporters in the city".