Efforts to renovate Liverpool's Royal Court Theatre have taken a step forward after Royal Court Liverpool Trust (RCLT) was awarded a 30-year lease to operate the venue.

The trust will now be able to move forward plans to raise funds for a £10.6m renovation of the Grade II-listed building, following Liverpool City Council confirmed its decision on 26 March. Designs drawn up by London-based architect Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM) were chosen from a shortlist of seven submissions in March 2009, with RCLT now aiming to secure funding for the project.

Plans for the 1,250-seat theatre include an enlarged entrance space, a rooftop restaurant and bar and the reorganisation of the middle two floors to create more comfortable casual spaces. RCLT has revealed it expects to apply for support from the Heritage Lottery Fund, foundations and private companies, as well as hoping to get the backing of the Northwest Regional Development Agency.

Trust chair Elizabeth Christie said: "We are determined to succeed in our fundraising efforts and ensure the future of this wonderful building which has been at the heart of Liverpool's cultural offer for such a long time. "The best thing is that our architects have developed a scheme that can be achieved without closing the theatre for any great length of time so that audiences can continue to enjoy the wealth of entertainment that the theatre produces with minimal interruption."

Image: AHMM's vision for the revamped Royal Court Theatre