THE £6 million redevelopment of York Theatre Royal has won a major architectural award.

The theatre in St Leonard’s Place was dark for more than a year as the 272-year-old Grade II* building underwent a major renovation.

Among changes made were a complete refurbishment of the auditorium, changes to the foyer area and behind the scenes, extension of the street frontage and the creation of a cafe area behind its distinctive stone arches.

Now it has won a Royal Institute of British Architects Yorkshire award and will go forward to compete against other projects in the institute’s national 2017 awards.

The judging jury declared: “The final result demonstrates the complete success of the full design team in delivering an excellent refurbishment and the vital role of a well-informed client, working in collaboration with all stakeholders, and what can be achieved in the most challenging context.

“The enthusiasm and thorough understanding of the complexities of various stakeholders truly provides a place that will ensure the future viability of this theatre.”

They declared it a “worthy winner” and awarded the RIBA Yorkshire Award 2017 and Client of the Year Award to the project’s designers De Matos Ryan Architects.

The designers aimed to increase the usable space inside the building, encourage more people to use it and to increase the building’s viability.