Yesterday we welcomed the news that we have been awarded £1.9million from Arts Council England’s Creative Foundations Fund toward the cost of restoring the much-loved Snape Maltings Concert Hall
This is a major step forward for our larger £13.6 million capital programme of improvements to the site and enables the work on the Concert Hall to proceed, with work commencing in early 2027.
The works will include essential, urgent repairs and upgrades to the Concert Hall, the largest and best known of our buildings. The Hall has remained largely unchanged for over 25 years, with some of the infrastructure dating back even further to 1970 when it was rebuilt after a fire.
“We are delighted to be awarded this grant and for this endorsement of our project… Our founders Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears believed in the power of the arts to connect and be useful to communities and this work will help more communities enjoy this very special place, from artists and performers through to visitors and audience members.”
Britten Pears Arts’ Chief Executive, Andrew Comben
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This programme of works is vital to ensure the site remains open and operational, replacing failing end-of-life systems. It will increase the economic and environmental sustainability of the organisation by reducing maintenance costs, improving energy efficiency, and enabling us to adapt to the changing climate and the needs of audiences.
The work will include a refurbishment of the concert hall seats, which will be improved to increase comfort and durability while retaining their acoustic properties. There will also be essential work to and insulation of the concert hall roof, installation of hand rails in the Hall to aid accessibility, work to increase the acoustic flexibility of the hall so we can better stage amplified and spoken word events, new lifts, modernised toilet facilities and increased restaurant capacity, amongst many other improvements.
“This funding is fantastic recognition for Suffolk’s cultural crown jewels. With it, Snape Maltings will continue to invest in the buildings, but most importantly it’s an investment that build’s on Britten’s legacy, and invests in our region’s music and heritage offering.”
Jenny Riddell-Carpenter, MP for Suffolk Coastal
The news comes at a moment when we’re in the final stages of work on the neighbouring Britten Pears Building. The work here will transform the building with upgraded performance and practice spaces (including the Peter Pears Recital Room) and, for the first time, full accessibility thanks to a new lift. This will allow us to expand our Creative Health programmes, strengthen our work with families and young people, and increase our artist development activity, all within a greatly improved space.
“Britain’s arts and culture offering is second to none and the Snape Maltings Concert Hall is unique. This nearly £2 million investment will be a major boost for the area. I can’t wait to see how the improvement in accessibility, audience comfort, and infrastructure helps showcase the next generation’s Benjamin Britten.”
Lisa Nandy, Culture Secretary
We’ll be sharing more news of our Capital Programme as work progresses as well as ways for you to get involved. A public seat-naming appeal will be launched in May 2026 and there will be additional naming opportunities for various elements of the project in due course.