Cardiff Council launches proposal to turn St David’s Hall into O2 Academy

Cardiff Council has announced a proposal to hand Wales’ national concert hall, St David’s Hall, to entertainment company Academy Music Group (AMG). The proposal, which will be presented to Cardiff Council’s Cabinet on 15 December, aims to see the concert hall become the newest O2 Academy venue.

Staff member, Ben Herrington, has launched a petition which currently has over 19,000 signatures, calling upon Cardiff Council to ‘reassess this decision before a mistake is made.’ With public outcry gaining momentum the council will hold an extraordinary meeting this Friday (9 Dec) to discuss the proposal.

British cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason MBE has performed at the hall numerous times in recent years. He said: ‘I see this decision as a devastating and significant move towards potentially taking away an entire art form from a city, country and its people. This hall is incredibly important to its audience for whom it is the central place to experience world class classical music. I urge the Council and people responsible for these decisions to not go ahead with this, and protect an iconic home of classical music, and save a beloved and ever important art form for its current and future beneficiaries.’

If approved, the proposal will necessitate the replacement of all stalls seating with removable seating in order to increase the hall’s capacity to 2500. Although Cardiff Council have stated classical music and community events will continue, they have not given any further information about this including how it will be budgeted. The council have also omitted to present a plan for future provision of classical music in Cardiff if the proposal were to be accepted, but say they will consult with stakeholders.

St David’s Hall staff are concerned at the speed of the proposal process, with calls for transparency, information and ‘genuine consultation’. However, a Freedom of Information request submitted by Wales Online has revealed that the council was considering the proposed takeover as early as 2021, and Cardiff Council later confirmed that discussions with AMG have been taking place since 2020, with an initial offer received in December 2021.

A council spokesperson has said: 'The Council has been exploring alternatives for the running of St David’s Hall since 2016 when it undertook a full competitive dialogue public procurement process. Each year, at budget setting time, the future of St David’s Hall is re-considered as it requires an annual subsidy from the council which often reaches £1m a year.' They added: 'There is undeniably a need to secure investment into St David’s Hall, but safeguarding jobs at the venue and retaining its status as the National Concert Hall of Wales, with access to the Classical symphonic repertoire, would be an absolute imperative for the administration, under any proposal.'