Portsmouth Guildhall basement to be transformed in £1.3m project into a creative space for young people - with gender neutral toilets

Work is expected to begin on Monday on the project will see the main basement area and associated rooms remodelled to provide an innovative space where young people aged 11-25 will be able to meet and explore their creative potential.

Named The Base, it is due to open in late Spring 2024, giving young people access to a band rehearsal room with backline equipment, a small studio with a DJ mixing space, a large AV suite with specialist software, a small performance space and a lounge/exhibition area.

Collaborating with schools, colleges and cultural partners from across the region, The Base will be a catalyst for creativity and collaboration, with specialist programmes and workshops.

Young people have been involved in the project since its start, helping to inform the design and facilities The Base will offer, and now a larger Youth Advisory Panel is being established that will continue the development and creation of the space.

As part of the redevelopment, the Guildhall’s main customer toilets, which have seen little change since the venue was reopened by The Queen in 1959, will be replaced with new accessible and gender-neutral facilities, a Changing Place facility and twice as many female cubicles.

The plans for The Base have been developed by the award-winning Benedetti Architects, whose recent projects include the extension and redevelopment of the Bafta headquarters in London, and multi-disciplinary design studio HemingwayDesign.

Arts Council England’s Capital Investment Programme allocated £499,000 to The Base, with £550,000 from Portsmouth City Council and £10,000 contributed through the Charles Dickens Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy fund. A further £45,000 has been awarded by The Foyle Foundation, an independent grant-making trust which prioritises arts and learning charities.

Leader of the city council with responsibility for culture, Cllr Steve Pitt, said: "It's important to us to develop new cultural focal points in the city, and for all our residents to have access to a range of cultural activities and facilities to enhance their quality of life and make Portsmouth a great place to live."

The Base is part of the wider Renaissance of Portsmouth Guildhall scheme, an ambitious programme of development to ensure that the venue continues to thrive for future generations and support the trust’s vision of becoming one of the leading cultural organisations in the country. It follows the development of The Lens Studio space in 2018, with the refurbishment of the main auditorium and front of house and bar facilities to follow in the near future.

Andy Grays, CEO of The Guildhall Trust, said: “The transformation of the basement is an exciting phase of the Renaissance of Portsmouth Guildhall. The Base will allow us to provide a much more suitable environment for some of our existing work with young people, such as our UVG – The Urban Vocal Group, and importantly provide a new, supportive and much needed facility within our community that will help young people to flourish and feel safe.”

Find out more at: thebaseguildhall.com.

Young people interested in joining a Youth Advisory Panel, or anyone interested in finding out more about using The Base can call Hayley Reay on (023) 9387 0193 or email [email protected].