AN AMBITIOUS project to restore St George’s Hall and enhance it as a concert venue is a step nearer receiving £1.3m lottery funding.

Bradford Council has cleared the first hurdle in its bid from the Heritage Lottery Fund to renovate and develop the historic Bradford concert hall.

The project will involve restoring the sandstone exterior of the landmark city centre building and make other external and internal improvements to preserve its heritage features and enhance it for future use.

Development funding of £79,000 has been awarded to help Bradford Council press ahead with plans to apply for a full grant in round two of the process.

As well as physical improvements to the property, the project will make archive materials about the history of the concert hall more accessible and develop stronger links with the public through an outreach and access programme.

A permanent archive display will be created, featuring key events from the official opening of the venue by Queen Victoria in 1853 to big rock concerts of the 1970s and 1980s when acts such as Genesis, Queen, Motorhead and David Bowie performed there.

Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, Bradford Council’s Portfolio Holder for Employment, Skills and Culture, said: “We’re delighted that the Heritage Lottery Fund has given us this support. St George’s Hall was one of the first ever public buildings in Bradford city centre and 160 years later, it’s fantastic to be getting the investment it needs to maintain its position as a key heritage building and international venue.”

Other famous names who have appeared at St George's Hall include Charles Dickens, Harold Houdini, Dr Livingstone, Sir Edward Elgar, Blondie, Bryan Adams, Peter Kay and Morrissey .

The concert hall continues to be a busy venue today, hosting a range of professional events from children’s shows to music of all genres and some of the biggest names in stand-up comedy, as well as community events, amateur theatre shows, graduation ceremonies and speech days.

Comics Frank Skinner, Jimmy Carr and Ken Dodd are among the acts lined up for the autumn season, along with folk queen Kate Rusby and Jools Holland, who declared in an interview with the T&A in 2012 that St George's Hall is one of his favourite venues. "If we were going to do a tour DVD I'd want it filmed there," he said. "It's like an old music hall, there's something Wild West about it too. You can't beat playing some-where that's seen lots of different performers over the years."

The hall, which marked its 150th anniversary last year, also programmes the country's longest running orchestral subscription season and hosts regular performances by the Halle Orchestra.