YORK’S Theatre Royal is looking for a new rehearsal space in the city, and is fighting a “major risk” label at the Arts Council.

The theatre, which is refurbishing the De Grey Rooms with the aim of building up a wedding business, is on the hunt for a rehearsal space that it can also offer to community groups like choirs and drama clubs.

Theatre boss Tom Bird spoke to city councillors on a culture scrutiny committee on Tuesday evening.

He said they wanted to find a plot of land or an existing building which they could convert, but the type of ex-industrial or brownfield site they needed was “at an absolute premium in York”.

The theatre had looked at council-owned Ashbank House, Shipton Road, but were “a bit late in the game”, Mr Bird said, and they were now looking elsewhere.

He told them that while De Grey House is an event space and has smaller rooms well suited to office use, it is not fit for purpose as a modern rehearsal space.

He also said they were thoroughly renovating and redecorating the ballroom and other spaces for the new wedding business, to help sustain the theatre financially.

However, Mr Bird also said the theatre suffers from negative perceptions at the Arts Council, where it is considered a “major risk” to investments.

“That’s a frustrating and difficult situation to deal with. There’s some advocacy work to be done with the Arts Council, but it’s well underway.”

The theatre is also looking at a £50,000 renovation of the patio between its 1960s foyer and De Grey House.

Mr Bird said the existing space was dirty and often littered with drugs paraphernalia, so they want to create a more attractive community space for the city.