Roxburgh Entertainment Centre Rebuild

Background

The origins of the Roxburgh Entertainment Centre trace back to 1918, when the Hall was officially vested to the Borough Council, marking the beginning of its role as a community hub. In 1926, the Council demonstrated its commitment to modern entertainment by investing in a projection machine, enhancing the Hall’s capabilities for film screenings. A significant milestone occurred in March 1931, when the Hall was relocated and a new building was opened. Over the decades, the facility underwent various renovations and upgrades, evolving into what was known as the Roxburgh Entertainment Centre. This vibrant venue served the cultural and social needs of the community for over 100 years.

Tragically, on 6 February 2025, the Roxburgh Entertainment Centre was destroyed by fire. Council is working through the insurance claim process and in the first instance, has cleared the property to begin conversations with the community about next steps.

Moving forward

On 31 July 2025, the Teviot Valley Community Board approved four community members to be on the Project Steering Group (PSG), including Alastair Monteath, Sally Smith, Sarah Moore, and David Weatherall. The board's representative will be TVCB member Curtis Pannett and Councillor Martin McPherson. Also on the Project Steering Group are CODC representatives Group Manager David Scoones, Property and Facilities Manager Garreth Robinson, and Project Manager - Construction Tara Bates. Those members together with the wider community, now has a unique opportunity to reimagine how a new structure, can be shaped to best serve future generations over the next century.

Signage clearly showing the rebuild process has been posted on the building site. To open a printable version of this image as seen below, click here.

Community Engagement Update

Community members have shared their ideas and aspirations for the Roxburgh Entertainment Centre rebuild through a series of workshops and feedback opportunities co-ordinated by the CODC project and communications teams and led by Athfield Architects earlier this month.

As part of the project's discovery phase, three public workshops were held on 5 - 6 August. Athfield Architects also met separately with members of the Roxburgh Entertainment Centre Improvements and Promotion committee (RECIP), the REC Project Steering Group, the Teviot Valley Community Board and students and teachers at Roxburgh Area School. For those unable to attend in person, online and hard-copy surveys were available, generating a further 19 submissions.

The workshops included an introduction to Athfield Architects, who have experience designing community facilities, and an overview of the concept design process. Attendees shared their vision for the rebuild, with the following key themes coming through:

• Flexible space over a single large hall.
• An auditorium is important.
• Quality acoustics matter.
• Indoor sport such as indoor bowls, a gymnasium, and courts were each raised.
• Regular use matters as much as capacity.
• Family and youth-oriented space is a consistent ask from the community.

Next Steps

The next step is to test these ideas against the budget and refine them into a small number of concept options that will be brought back to the community at workshops on September 16 - 17. If you can't make the workshops, you can still provide feedback online or with hard copies from 4pm Friday 18 September to 5pm Friday 2 October.

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