A MULTI-MILLION pound refurbishment that will transform The Met into a modern entertainment venue and restore its heritage features is about to reach an exciting new stage.

The Bury Times was among the guests invited on a special tour of the historic building last week, to see the progress that has been made since work began on the £4.6 million facelift in March.

As part of the first major renovation work to ever take place at the venue, the building has now been completely stripped-out before new theatre spaces, dressing rooms, a bar area and more begin to take shape.

David Agnew, The Met's artistic director, said: "The project is about taking a building that was in dire need of some improvement and making it fit for purpose for us as an arts centre for the next 20 to 25 years.

"The building has never had a large scale refurbishment. What we are trying to do is bring it back to its original grandeur and also make it work for us.

"In the past, the building's layout has always worked against us as an arts venue."

If the construction work goes to plan over the coming months, it is hoped that the venue, which was built in the late 1840s, will be able to re-open in late October.

When completed, the main theatre capacity will increase from 220 to 270 seated, and from 300 to 380 standing.

The new-look Met will have a larger stage area capable of accommodating larger theatre productions, a more intimate studio performance space, and two new workshop and rehearsal spaces.

The redesign has been planned to create clear public, performance, and 'back of house' areas, with a new, larger lift set to provide better access between floors.

Easily accessible toilets will be added on the ground floor, while the old high-ceilinged upstairs toilets will be split into two floors to create an additional dressing room and storage area.

New office space will be available to rent out, with the aim of establishing a new creative hub for the region, and there will also be more space in the Edwin Street recording studio.

Disabled visitors will be better catered for with a larger and fully-equipped disabled change space, DDA compliant dressing room and stage access, and an improved access ramp to the front of the building.

Mr Agnew added: "We are at a really exciting stage now, about three months into the redevelopment. It's great to see the original features of the building before we start to add bits and pieces on top of it.

"We are really excited about our future here and what it going to happen. Because the project has been ticking away for about seven years and the funding took a long time to come through, every aspect of the scheme has been very carefully thought out."

As many as 700 artists visit The Met each year, and it is hoped that the refurbishment will attract more high-profile stars and productions with more ambitious theatrical sets.

A 21-day extravaganza is planned when The Met re-opens later this year, while the adjacent Automatic restaurant is due to shut for two weeks in June to allow for further redevelopment.

To donate to the building scheme through the purchase of a seat in the theatre go to themet.biz/better/have-a-seat or donate £5 by texting BMAA01 £5 to 70070.