REVAMP plans for Derby's crumbling Hippodrome Theatre have been given the go-ahead.
Derby Hippodrome Restoration Trust now has permission from the city council to turn the ex-venue's Green Lane front-of-house into a coffee shop, with exhibition space on the first floor and offices and meeting space above.
But it now has a significant problem to overcome as it has not yet secured funding for the work.
Councillor Robin Wood, who was on the planning committee which made the unanimous decision, said issues around financing a project were nothing to do with the planning decision itself.
He said: "We should not stand in the way of people who want to do something positive with a listed building.
"Whether the trust has got the resources or not is quite another issue."
Under the terms of the permission, the trust has five years to start work.
