MORE details have emerged about ambitious plans to bring a temporary Shakespearean theatre to York next summer.

The company behind the scheme - Lunchbox Theatrical Productions - say they can build the 950 seat, three tiered wooden theatre in just a month, and dismantle it again in under three weeks.

Lunchbox have submitted a planning application to City of York Council, and documents, which are now public, show exactly when the company wants to move in to the Castle car park.

The papers show construction would start on May 28 and be completed by June 24, in time for the first public performance on June 25.

The final performance would then take place on September 2, before the theatre and other buildings are dismantled and cleared away by September 23.

The papers also show the theatre will sit close to the Castle Museum, and would be accompanied by dressing rooms, wardrobe stores and offices in separate “back of house” buildings; as well as “traditional” village area for the public with food and drink outlets, a box office, toilets, carnival games, and a smaller performance waggon.

Overall, the proposal would take up just under half of the Castle car park.

A planning statement says they want to create a 16th century theatre with a Taste Village featuring local food and drink.

The papers also reveal that while the 850 square metres and 13m high theatre will seat 600 people, as with other Shakespearean theatres there will be room for 200 people standing.

Producers expect to sell around 70,000 to 90,000 tickets in the first year, out of a an overall capacity of 130,000, with another 10,000 people visiting the village.

The location was chosen because it is surrounded by tall trees and, over the Foss, an empty office building, Lunchbox say in their planning statement.

“Given the site in question is currently a car park, we cannot envisage that our event will have any detrimental effect on the current landscape of this area and will in fact a bring a new look to this space which we understand is planned for event use after 2018,” the document adds.

The planning application is now being considered and should be decided by September 21.

Councillors are also due to decide whether to grant the use of the car park, which the authority owns, in a meeting at the end of August.