Building
Refurbishment
We have been awarded £899k from the Creative Foundations Fund to be spent on our building to improve accessibility.
The refurbishment will include new toilets, a brand-new contemporary ‘Changing Places’ facility with ceiling-track hoist, power-assisted doors, accessible signage and refurbished studios, plus enhanced dedicated spaces for our artists and communities.
Attenborough Arts Centre will remain open to our communities throughout the works, offering a range of exhibitions, performances, creative courses, learning opportunities and more. However, sections of our building will be closed to the public for periods of time while the work takes place. We will keep you updated as the work progresses through our website and social media.
The Capital Bid work will begin in November 2026 and will finish in Spring 2027. From November, Studios 1 – 4, the Balcony Gallery, the main hall and the cafe will be closed to the public, whilst front of house, the Salmon Gallery, Gallery 1 & 2, and the courtyard will still accessible to all. During this time all of our programming will continue in this section of the building with accommodations in place to make your visit enjoyable and inclusive.
We are very grateful to have secured a major Creative Foundations Fund grant from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and Arts Council England to undertake a £1million refurbishment of our building from November 2026 to April 2027. We are proud to be working in partnership with All-In Leicester to follow an inclusive design process and our plans have been directly shaped by the views of 288 people drawn from across our diverse communities.
Please continue to come and visit us throughout the refurbishment. You’ll receive the same friendly welcome, but your experience will be a little different.
Our café will be closed and we will not always have public space available to socialise. There will also be contractors in the car park and the number of accessible parking bays will be reduced from four to two. We will also be reliant on temporary outdoor accessible toilets.
Thank you in advance for bearing with us during the refurbishment period – this is an exciting time and we look forward to welcoming you to our new and improved building in a few short months.
Attenborough Arts Centre will re-open just before the 30th anniversary of the centre’s opening by Lord Richard Attenborough and Princess Diana. The ongoing work to our building will enable us to continue Sir Richard’s vision of Art for All.
If you would like more information please explore the FAQ’s below or contact us by emailing arts-centre@le.ac.uk or call at 0116 252 2455
Floor Map with Closure Sections
Ground Floor
Our main hall, cafe, bathrooms, changing rooms, and shop will not be available to the public. Our front of house and Salmon Gallery will be accessible.
-1 Floor - Galleries
Gallery 1, 2 and our courtyard will be accessible to the public.
Floor 1 - Studios
The upstairs of our building will not be available to the public.
FAQ
Q: What is the capital bid?
A: Attenborough Arts Centre was awarded from the Creative Foundations Fund, part of the £270 million Arts Everywhere Fund announced by the Culture Secretary in February 2025, which delivers on the government’s Plan for Change to support economic growth and increase opportunities for people across the country and ensuring that everyone has access to high quality institutions in the places they call home.
In total, 130 organisations across the country are received the funding. As the cost of living continues to affect families across Britain, funding for these venues will help provide welcoming, affordable spaces for communities to visit, come together and celebrate what makes their local area special.
Q: What will the funding be used on?
A: Attenborough Arts Centre will be focussing on accessibility and inclusive design. The work will include a new Changing Places facility for disabled users and a range of upgrades informed by users to optimise visitor experience, environmental sustainability and income generation. The funding can only be used on improving the building.
Q: How much funding did Attenborough Arts Centre receive?
A: We were awarded £899k from the Creative Foundations Fund, which will be spent on a project which focuses on accessibility and inclusive design in the building.
Q: Who was consulted for the application?
A: We developed our proposal for the project with 288 people drawn from across its diverse user groups and communities, whose views and ideas directly shaped the plans. We consulted with All-In, Leicester’s disabled-led inclusivity and accessibility-specialist organisation and Mima, the specialist inclusive design agency.
As part of our design process, we will continue to work with communities and specialist estates teams from the University of Leicester to deliver the refurbishment.
Q: When will the building works take place?
A: The building works will start in November 2026 and will complete in Spring 2027.
Q: Will Attenborough Arts Centre be open to the public?
A: The centre will remain open to the public 7-days a week, with our range of programmes on offer to all.
Building Hours:
Weekdays – 9am – 5pm
Saturday – 10am – 5pm
Sunday – 10am – 4pm
We open later for events, performances and workshops.
Art Gallery Hours:
Weekdays – 12pm – 5pm
Weekends – 12pm – 4pm
Explore our what’s on page to see what is upcoming by clicking here.
Q: What sections of the building will be closed?
A: Studios 1 – 4, the Balcony Gallery, the main hall and the café will be closed to the public.
Front of house, the Salmon Gallery, Gallery 1 & 2, downstairs toilets and the courtyard will still be accessible to all. During this time all our programming will continue in this section of the building, with accommodations in place to make your visit enjoyable and inclusive.
Q: Will the programmes continue?
A: We will continue with our programming across creative courses, performances, exhibitions, learning, and venue hire. Explore our what’s on page to see what is upcoming by clicking here.
Q: How can I get in contact?
A: Contact us by emailing arts-centre@le.ac.uk or call at 0116 252 2455
Explore more
A simple and powerful expression of who we are. Our mission is to make art accessible to all. We identify and remove barriers to inclusion to enable everyone to experience creativity and culture.
Throughout our building we have a range of creative courses, performances, events, learning opportunities and more that everyone can join in. Explore everything we have upcoming and get involved!
Explore the history of Attenborough Arts Centre, from our founding by Lord Richard Attenborough to the campaign with local Leicester communities that built our inclusive and multi-use arts venue.
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