£50m central London venue planned for Somerset House

Plans have been unveiled for a new £50 million venue to be based at Somerset House in London, which could hold up to 700 people for live performance and concerts.

The Somerset House Trust said the new space would be multi-purpose and become a venue where artists can “create, collaborate, perform, experiment and engage directly with each other”.

It will be “far larger than any of our existing indoor spaces” the trust said, adding it planned to host “performance, music and live concerts”, alongside talks and debates.

A feasibility study carried out in 2018 found the venue could be a “music-hall style space”, with a wrap around balcony on three sides and room for 375 people seated or 700 standing.

The new venue would be designed within a space between the building’s west wing and new wing. By creating the new venue, the trust said a new public space would be possible at the courtyard level.

Subject to funding, the venue could open by 2024.

The trust is now holding a competition to find an architects firm to design and deliver the project.

Troubadour Theatres: Behind the scenes at the major new venues set to shake up London theatre