The Plaza Northwich: Volunteers plan to buy iconic building

Friends of The Plaza Trust, a team of volunteers, has revealed plans to buy the Grade II-listed live music venue.

Their vision includes registering the trust as a charity before acquiring funding for a major refurbishment.

A spokesman for the newly formed group said: “Our ambition is to purchase The Plaza and to bring it back to its full Art Deco glory whilst ensuring that it is fully accessible to everyone.

“We see The Plaza as a venue that will be able to accommodate a wide range of arts, theatre and music events alongside creating community spaces for educational and social gatherings.”

The Plaza has been in the ownership of the same family for three generations.

It was recently listed by Cheshire West and Chester Council as an asset of community value which brings with it a 'community right to bid' should it ever come up for sale.

Friends of The Plaza Trust has confirmed they are now in discussions with the current owners about purchasing the venue.

The Plaza reopened as a live music venue in 2017 (Image: Newsquest)

A board of trustees has been appointed to lead the initiative, with support from a wider group of individuals, local businesses and partner agencies.

To kickstart this, a number of meetings were held last week where those partners could share ideas and offer support.

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The trust is seeking charity commission registration ahead of applying for grants to fund the maintenance and refurbishment of the building.

“We know there are lots of people who have fond memories of The Plaza in its heyday as a cinema but also as a bingo hall,” added the trust spokesman.

“We want to hear those stories and engage with Northwich communities as part of this exciting project.”

The Plaza is now entering its third life, having started as a cinema in the 1930s. It then became a bingo hall in the 1960s before closing in 2011.

In 2017 it reopened as a live music and theatre venue.

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Under the management of Jon Houghton, The Plaza has gone from strength to strength and hosted numerous sold-out events.

Jon will continue to run the business operations and work closely with the trust while remaining separate from the running of the charity itself.

He said: “We have proved the concept that The Plaza can attract audiences from across the North West and further afield and the venue’s viability has been demonstrated beyond doubt.”