PLANS by a Salisbury theatre to build a £500k extension have been given the green light.

Studio Theatre in Ashley Road submitted an application in the summer to build new rehearsal and dressing rooms for its own use and the groups which hire it.

The amateur theatre group which puts on six productions a year has to meet a number of pre-conditions before work can begin on the ten-metre wide, two storey-extension.

The extension is a scaled-down version of plans put forward last year after concerns were raised by conservation campaigners.

Theatre chairman George Goulding said: "It's fantastic news and very exciting.

"New dressing rooms are absolutely vital for us to comply with legal requirements and it means members of our youth theatre will be able to become more involved in our main programme events.

"It will also give us more rehearsal space and more storage space."

Work is soon to begin on fundraising for the extension.

The theatre is more than 60 years old and moved into its purpose-built 92-seater theatre in Ashley Road in 2006 after raising £450,000 for the project.

Theatre secretary Hugh Abel said: "We have permission which is contingent on a number of conditions - for example, planning officers need to see samples of materials we want to use for the building as well as details on the boundary fence, the greenery there and what we are going to plant.

"Once these have been satisfied, we will go out to tender and find different bidders that can complete the different sections.

"We were granted a parcel of land from Wiltshire Council for the extension and as part of the permission, we need to start building within three years."