Portsmouth Groundlings Theatre: Plea to settle property row

The Groundlings Theatre building is in need of £1m of repairs

Cultural groups in Portsmouth have called for a property dispute threatening a theatre to be resolved.

The 18th Century Groundlings Theatre building is being sold to a property developer, rather than the trustees who run the theatre.

Owner Richard Stride said he was "frustrated" by delays by the trustees.

The city's Cultural Collective, which includes the Guildhall, Mary Rose Museum and New Theatre Royal, said its closure "would be felt by many".

The Groundlings Theatre Trust accused Mr Stride of reneging on an arrangement to sell it the building on Kent Street.

The trust currently holds a lease on the building until 2030, and earlier this year, successfully applied for a Community Ownership Fund grant to buy it outright.

An online petition calling for it to stay in community ownership has received more than 2,500 signatures.

Mr Stride insisted there was "no way" to cancel the sale of the Grade II* listed building.

"I have been keen to get rid of it because I simply can't afford the cost of repairs," he added.

"I've waited months for the trust and it's been delay after delay so I put it on the open market and the sale was agreed in less than two weeks."

The trust, in turn, said the purchase had been held up due to legal difficulties around the use of an online property auction company.

'Satisfactory solution'

The Cultural Collective, made up of more than a dozen organisations in the city, said: "It is one of the only small theatres in the city whose loss would be felt by many who enjoy its mix of community and professional work.

"The Cultural Collective recognises that the situation is complex and hopes that a satisfactory solution can be achieved which help secures the future of Groundlings Theatre."

Portsmouth South MP Stephen Morgan and city council leader Steve Pitt said the sale to an investor was a "tremendous shame".

In 2020, the Groundlings Theatre was added to a list of threatened playhouses following a break-in. It was subsequently given a grant of £15,000 by the city council.

The theatre is said to have staged a ball at which Charles Dickens' mother went into labour on the eve of the author's birth, although doubt has been cast on the story by academics.

Follow BBC South on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail].