Lower House Approves Declaration for Land Acquisition to Expand National Performing Arts Centre

The Lower House of Parliament on Tuesday approved a declaration for the Government of Antigua and Barbuda to acquire an additional 0.05-acre parcel of land on St. Mary’s Street as part of the expansion of the country’s new National Performing Arts Centre.

The acquisition forms part of the ongoing transformation of the former Deluxe Cinema into an 875-seat state-of-the-art performing arts facility that government officials say will become one of the most advanced theatre venues in the Eastern Caribbean.

During debate on the resolution, Minister of Social and Urban Transformation and MP for St. Peter Rawdon Turner said the land is essential to meeting security, safety and infrastructure requirements associated with the project.

“Without vision, the people perish,” Turner told Parliament. “In order to ensure that the performing arts in Antigua and Barbuda does not perish, this administration has made a decision that we will transform the Deluxe Theatre into the Performing Arts Theatre of Antigua and Barbuda.”

Turner explained that the facility has been designed following consultations with experts from the United Kingdom and the United States, along with local stakeholders, including musicians, dancers, steel pan players and persons with disabilities.

The minister said the venue will feature advanced acoustics, modern lighting systems, large digital display screens, multiple dressing rooms and accessibility features designed to accommodate performers and patrons.

“We have changed the entire configuration of the building and established a stage area that would rival any facility in the Caribbean,” he said.

The Performing Arts Centre is expected to host the opening ceremony of the 2026 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), requiring the government to meet stringent security requirements for visiting heads of government and dignitaries.

According to Turner, the newly acquired parcel will facilitate the construction of a dedicated VIP entrance and exit, emergency access routes and critical wastewater infrastructure.

He disclosed that the lower level of the planned structure will house a sewage treatment facility capable of processing waste generated during major events.

“Calculations show that an event with 875 persons can generate approximately 20,000 gallons of liquid waste in a day, and that has to be properly treated,” Turner said.

The upper level is expected to accommodate administrative offices for theatre operations and a dedicated dance studio.

The acquisition follows the government’s purchase of the adjoining Glorious building, which Turner said will provide space for concessions, restroom facilities and a recording studio.

Opposition Leader and MP for All Saints East and St. Luke Jamale Pringle questioned whether the acquisition process had the full support of the landowners and raised concerns about compulsory land acquisitions and compensation.

“We don’t have the information, and I cannot come and support something and people are outside hurting,” Pringle said.

He argued that Parliament had not been provided with sufficient details, including an evaluation of the property, and said he could not support the measure in its current form.

Despite the objections, the declaration was approved with support from government members, including MP for St. Mary’s South Dwayne George and MP for St Paul E.P Chet Greene clearing the way for the acquisition process to proceed as part of the broader expansion of the National Performing Arts Centre.