Phoenix Arts, Whitehill & Bordon Regeneration Company and Prince Philip Park are excited to share proposals for a new cultural hub in the town centre, a space to celebrate the history of the town and the surrounding area.
Phoenix Arts has long been celebrated as a vibrant grassroots organisation, nurturing local talent and fostering a strong sense of community through the performing arts. At its current 100-seater venue, Phoenix Arts provides a platform for emerging artists and experienced performers alike, covering all disciplines from comedy to dance, music, theatre, musicals, disability arts and much, much more.
Recognising the growing demand for diverse and innovative performances, Phoenix Arts is set to elevate its mission by opening a larger, more versatile venue in Whitehill & Bordon’s new town centre.
The concept is to establish a Cultural Hub: an area that combines arts, entertainment, leisure and workspace. A new 250-seat theatre will be a key part of the plans, with the plot of the former Sergeants Mess acting as the focus for cultural activity in the town centre. The vision is one of bold, engaging design and architecture, while being sensitive to the historic fabric of the Mess Hall itself.
The new Cultural Hub will feature restaurants, entertainment and leisure spaces, additional retail and workspace studios, all grouped around a communal courtyard featuring a flexible seating area that can be used for outdoor events. This multi-purpose creative space aims to nurture local creatives, entrepreneurs and residents and moves towards completing the vision for Whitehill & Bordon as a desirable and unique destination.
View the full consultation boards here
By expanding across two spaces, Phoenix Arts aims to deepen its impact on the local arts scene, providing a versatile space that can accommodate a wide-range of artistic endeavours – from intimate solo performances to larger-scale productions. This new chapter is not just about increasing capacity, but about broadening the scope of what’s possible in community theatre.
Thanks to our annual events programme at The Phoenix Theatre & Arts Centre, we have seen how the arts can bring people together, inspire creativity and enrich the cultural fabric of Whitehill & Bordon. This new space will open up more opportunities to cement arts and culture in East Hampshire’s largest town.
Rob Allerston, CEO of Phoenix Arts commented, “From our inception in the 1980s as a community-led arts centre, and the coming together of the army and community of Whitehill & Bordon to provide affordable entertainment locally, through to the securing of Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) funding in 2022, we’ve been on a long-term mission to encourage greater engagement with the arts.
“Phoenix Arts is now acknowledged as a leading centre for community arts in England. In the words of Arts Council England when they awarded NPO status to Phoenix Arts in November 2022: ‘This welcoming venue is an important part of Hampshire’s cultural life, and we are pleased to be investing in it.’”
“The next chapter in this story is about to unfold and being central to the success of the new Cultural Hub is exciting and is acknowledged by our trustees, staff and volunteers as a brilliant development of our ethos and vision for Creating Community.”
The Cultural Hub proposals are subject to funding from Arts Council England, EHDC, WBRC and other key bodies. In order to deliver our vision, we need support from the local community!
The plans are currently on display in The Cube at The Shed. To give feedback on the proposals, local residents can simply scan the QR code on the display and they’ll be directed to a survey where they can have their say on the future of the arts, culture and entertainment in Whitehill & Bordon. We hope the community will get behind the proposals and show their appetite for the evolution of the new town centre.
The link to the online survey can be found here.
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