West Yorkshire Playhouse awarded £6.6m from Arts Council

The plans include creating a new entrance facing the city centre

The Arts Council has awarded £6.6m towards a £14m refurbishment of the West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds.

The theatre plans to build a new entrance, improve access, upgrade technical equipment and create a new studio theatre space.

Leeds City Council has already committed £4.9m towards the project on which work is due to start next year.

The theatre is to launch an appeal to raise the remaining money needed to complete the scheme.

Judith Blake, the Labour leader of Leeds City Council, said: "We're absolutely delighted that the Arts Council is supporting our application for a project that will completely transform one of Leeds's most cherished cultural institutions."

A design team will be appointed within six months, with construction work expected to begin in the second half of 2017.