AN extra £460,000 is to be poured into a Somerset entertainment venue as part of a council investment.

In 2015, South Somerset District Council took over the Westlands Entertainment Venue, in Westbourne Close, Yeovil, after Leonardo Helicopters (then AgustaWestland) said it could no longer afford to keep it open.

The council spent just over £4 million refurbishing the venue in 2017 – more than £357,000 over its original budget.

Now a further six-figure sum is being spent on a new boiler, air conditioning and other changes to encourage more groups and companies to hire out the venue.

The details of the investment were published in a report which came before the council’s district executive committee in Yeovil on Thursday (January 9).

If the council’s budget is approved in February, a total of £330,000 could be spent to replace the boiler within the leisure complex.

A further £100,000 will be spent on replacing the sports centre’s roof and £30,000 on installing roof lights, as well as providing air conditioning in the parish room and first floor offices.

This £460,000 investment is part of more than £1m to be spent by the council as part of its capital programme.

Other projects which could also be funded include solar panels on the roof of the Ninesprings cafe in Yeovil Country Park, extending the car park at the Yeovil Innovation Centre, and fixing the boiler and fire alarms at the council’s Brympton Way headquarters.

The council said the Westlands work could be funded by a loan to the venue rather than a capital grant – but said it would “have to be over a substantial number of years” for it to be affordable.

A spokesman said: “The length of time taken to recoup the investment will depend on how we decide to fund the project – whether through a ticket levy or capital spending.

“The addition of air conditioning to the first floor will make the space more attractive to hire and help the venue to achieve profitability.”

The joint annual report into both Westlands and the Octagon Theatre (which is also run by the council) indicates the venue’s fortunes have been improving in recent times.

The number of people attending Westlands for events rose from 24,937 in 2017/18 to 35,133 in 2018/19 – a rise of around 41 per cent, during which time attendance at the Octagon was largely static.

Its gross box office income rose from £354,501 to £500,754 over the same period, with its total annual net income (excluding box office takings) climbing from £510,623 to £850,298 – a rise of 66 per cent.

The annual net income of the Octagon Theatre fell during the same period – though when taken together, both venues made more money than the previous year.

The council spokesman added: “The Westlands Entertainment Venue is a real community asset, which we took on following the largest petition ever submitted to the authority, with more than 8,000 signatures.

“We are proud of the venue and what it achieves, whilst recognising we need to take a balanced approach to the commercial and community management.

“We seek to maximise profitability whilst also continuing to ensure the venue is accessible for the community we serve.”

The council will make a final decision on all the projects and assets which it funds when it sets its annual budget in Yeovil on February 20.

Councillor Peter Seib, portfolio holder for finance and legal services, said the general election in December had delayed the finalisation of the council’s spending programme for the coming year.

He said: “We are firing from a moving platform against many moving targets. This will be settled by the budget report next month.”