The complex, which includes the National Film Theatre, the Museum of the Moving Image, the Hayward Gallery and the National Theatre, is recognised to be in need of modernisation. If the latest proposal for redevelopment goes ahead, some of the buildings, including the stark slabs of the Hayward Gallery, would stay - but others may be razed to the ground. The draft scheme for the area, revealed by planner Rick Mather, could involve tearing down the Queen Elizabeth Hall concert venue. Mather's is the third major scheme to be put forward to give the site a makeover. The two previous attempts, including a plan by Lord Rogers for a huge glass wave covering the whole area, both fell by the wayside.
Some work is already under way.
The raised concrete walkways around the Hayward are slowly being chipped away and the Museum of the Moving Image building is no longer in use and will eventually be knocked down. Under Mather's plan, architects will be asked to enter a competition to suggest what should take their place. A decision will then be taken on whether the QE Hall should stay. The Hayward will be refitted and a new entrance at street level created. Jubilee Gardens Just a few yards away, the Royal Festival Hall is being refurbished at a cost of between 40m and 50m, with the acoustics and interior being improved, to form the first part of the scheme.