Seaton James Auditorium at Prospect has received approval.

The Development Applications Board recently accepted the Ministry of Works and Engineering's plans which include a building with a 650 seating capacity, a pump house, a transformer building, and a water truckers outlet.

Ruth Seaton James Auditorium, which was torn down due to problems with the foundations, held no more than 400.

The new multi-million-dollar development, which is scheduled to be completed next summer, will be used for educational and cultural purposes.

Former Works and Engineering Minister Leonard Gibbons has stated that he expected organisations such as the Bermuda Festival to use the facility which will contain the very latest production systems and equipment capable of satisfying the most technically demanding performance requirements.

The building will also be connected electronically to CedarBridge Academy's local area network system, allowing sound to be transferred from the auditorium throughout the school and vice versa.

Totally accessible to the physically-challenged, the building will also provide balcony seating and seating in the side galleries.

Rehearsal rooms for dance, theatre and music, an orchestra pit, green room, and a reception area will also be included in the building.