PLANS for a £350,000 refurbishment of the Consett Empire have been unveiled.

Owners at the workers' co-operative Leisure Services Ltd are pinning their hopes on a £50,000 Lottery grant and on Derwentside District Council approving a £300,000 hand-out.

The theatre, together with its sister theatre Stanley Civic Hall, has had a bumper year with a 200 per cent increase in theatre attendance.

And, after the failure of high profile Lottery-funded arts ventures like The Arc in Stockton, Consett Empire management reckons it's time smaller, long-standing theatres were backed.

The facelift would include providing disabled access in order to comply with new rules enforceable in 2004, new roofing and new decoration.

Nick Wiggins, manager of the 114-year-old theatre, said "We have a lovely theatre and you'd be amazed at the affection it is held by people from a long way off. However, with the place as it is, it's reaching the end of its shelf life.

"We know we're not Newcastle Theatre Royal or anything but hope that The Regional Arts Lottery Project and the council will recognise that we are getting out there and turning this lovely theatre into a big success story and we hope they will back us."

Mr Wiggins said that there had been a slight increase in the number of shows in the last year but the main reason for the 200 per cent increase was higher-profile shows.

A major coup was landing the prestigious Moscow Ballet for two sell-out shows. The ballet company will now return to perform Giselle in March.

The latest refurbishment plans follow a failed £700,000 Lottery application in 1997 which would have led to a major facelift of the Front Street theatre.

Leisure services in Derwentside cost the local tax payer about £750,000 a year.

As theatre manager for Derwentside, Mr Wiggins is responsible for booking all types of shows for the Consett Empire, Stanley Civic Hall and Consett Civic Centre - on a budget of £250,000 a year.

Mr Wiggins, 27, who hails from Oxford, is the first person to have the newly-created job with Derwentside District Council.

He plans to develop programmes for minorities who enjoy ballet and opera, but also intends to encourage enjoyment of all other kinds of entertainment, including stand-up comedy, children's theatre and all types of musicincluding rock and blues events such as the Allensford Show and Stanley Blues Festival.