Tynwald backs £1.6m for VillaGaiety sound and lighting upgrade

The last major overhaul of equipment at the Villa Marina was in 2004

A £1.6m upgrade of sound and lighting equipment at two large government-owned entertainment venues on the Isle of Man has been backed by Tynwald.

The two-phase project will also update the rigging and improve the acoustics at the Villa Marina and Gaiety Theatre.

Treasury Minister Alex Allinson said the "aging" technology refit was needed following "significant" quality issues.

But some politicians raised concerns about the sum when residents were being hit by the cost of living crisis.

The three-year capital works project was originally approved by Treasury in 2018, but was removed from the budget after a long period of inactivity at the complex during the pandemic.

Dr Allinson told Tynwald engineers had spent years patching up equipment and the now "obsolete, substandard and unreliable" system needed to be replaced following negative feedback from customers, agents and acts.

Improved access to culture, creativity and entertainment, without the need to travel off island, was an important part of the Island Plan, he said.

Work at the Gaiety Theatre will be part of the second phase of the works

MHK with responsibility for culture at the Department of Education, Sport and Culture (Desc), Claire Christian, said the works should be a "national priority" as the venues were used as part of "our Manx identity".

But John Wannenburgh MHK said although improvements were "beyond time", in the current financial climate the scheme was "ill conceived and extravagant".

Stu Peters MHK also said he could not support spending the sum on "nice-to-have equipment" during a cost-of-living crisis.

The last major overhauls of equipment at the Gaiety Theatre and Villa Marina were in 1996 and 2004 respectively.

Desc Minister Julie Edge said the refit would safeguard the future of the venues, and alleviate the need to extensively hire equipment, which would "make the island an unattractive touring destination".

New LED lighting was also expected to half running costs at the facilities, she said.

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