One of London's most popular arts attractions is crumbling and needs a $200 million fix

LONDON — From Michelle Obama to Anish Kapoor and Tracey Emin to Nina Simone, London's Southbank Centre has featured them all, and it is one of the U.K.'s most popular attractions.

But to secure its future, the arts complex needs £165 million ($217 million) to repair ageing buildings — which include performance venues, a gallery and public spaces across 11 acres on the south side of the River Thames — as it approaches its 75^th anniversary in 2026.

In March, the Southbank Centre's CEO Elaine Bedell appealed to the then Conservative government to contribute £27 million toward the "urgent" cost of repairing and upgrading the complex's buildings, in an article in London's Evening Standard newspaper.

And according to Mark Ball, the Southbank Centre's artistic director, money for those repairs will involve a "big conversation" with the U.K.'s newly installed Labour government and other supporters — a significant portion of the center's funding comes via a public grant, with the rest coming from donations, retail and partnerships. "We can't allow the cultural infrastructure to literally crumble in our hands, because ... without investment, it won't be here," Ball told CNBC.

Ball is responsible for programming performances and exhibitions for the center's four main venues — concert halls Royal Festival Hall and Queen Elizabeth Hall, smaller live music venue Purcell Room and the Hayward Gallery — as well as commissioning artwork for outdoor spaces across the site. (The neighboring National Theatre and British Film Institute Southbank are not part of the Southbank Centre.)

Ball has been in the job since January 2022, joining from a role as creative director of the Manchester International Festival. During his first year at the Southbank