Smith Square Hall is on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register and is in need of repair and renewal. We need to restore the stonework and repair the fabric of the building, including the roof. Internally, we need to make the building more comfortable for our audiences and performers, including improved sightlines and accessibility throughout.

Our current programme is working towards the building closing in summer 2027 and reopening in spring 2029.

The improvements to the building have been carefully developed by highly experienced conservation and theatre design architects, Burrell Foley Fischer. Our designs balance the requirements of the Grade I listed building with the creation of a space that delivers exceptional artistic experiences and meets the needs of 21^st century audiences.

Planning and listed building consent applications were submitted to Westminster City Council in July 2025, and we expect the applications to be determined shortly.

Whilst concerts at Smith Square Hall won’t continue whilst the building is closed, we do hope to hold a number of bespoke Festivals elsewhere so we can continue to bring music to our community.

We are planning to have guided hard hat tours so that visitors can see first-hand the renovations to the building. More details will be posted in due course!

Yes! Our Fellowship programme will continue, and we will welcome in a new orchestra of emerging professional musicians each year during the closure period.  We have exciting plans to develop both new ‘on the road’ concerts, where we will travel to other parts of the UK to work with new audiences, in addition to continuing our Rush Hour concerts in venues across London, including St John’s Waterloo.

We have received a Development Phase grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to help us develop our plans.  We are currently fundraising from a number of trusts and foundations and individuals who we hope will support our project.

We are installing renewable energy technologies, including photovoltaic panels and an Air Source Heat Pump, and removing gas from the building.  This will enable us to reduce our carbon emissions by 50% from our baseline data in 2025.