The £25m investment will make the 1960s buildings fit for future generations and is part of an ongoing programme to improve public areas and cultural spaces for the 6.25m people who visit the 21-acre site every year.

The restoration work, which has also received £16.7m in funding from Arts Council England (announced May 2014), will see the venues closed for a period of two years whilst work is undertaken. Many of the original fittings are now desperately in need of repair and the work will provide world-class facilities similar to those installed in the Royal Festival Hall during its recent major refurbishment. One of the most symbolic aspects of the project will be the restoration of the Hayward Gallery glass pyramid roof to allow natural light into the gallery and return the upper galleries to their original height. The Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room auditoria will be restored to their original character and the foyer will be made brighter and more open.

The restoration is part of wider ambitions to make Southbank Centre’s public spaces more attractive and accessible; fully pedestrianising the route to the river between the RFH and QEH Hayward Gallery; extending the popular Queen Elizabeth Hall roof gardens; creating new performance spaces and improving the physical connections between Southbank Centre and its neighbouring area.

Alan Bishop, Chief Executive of Southbank Centre, said: "This award from the Heritage Lottery Fund is a vital contribution to the much needed restoration of these wonderful buildings. The work will make the buildings fit for future generations to enjoy and give our audience access to the kind of world class facilities they now use in the Royal Festival Hall. The next step will be to improve the public realm around the buildings making it more accessible to the public and in harmony with the Royal Festival Hall and our neighbours on the South Bank."

The Heritage Lottery Fund award will also support Southbank Centre’s largest ever public heritage programme including the creation of a Southbank Centre Archive Studio in the Royal Festival Hall. The working archive will be designed by leading architecture practice, Jonathan Tuckey Design and, from October 2015, will make the day-to-day examination and cataloguing of Southbank Centre’s extensive and unique 60 year old archive visible to the public for the first time. As part of this project, a series of volunteering, participation and training sessions will enable everyone to get their hands on our extensive archive to engage with, enjoy and learn about our heritage and how London’s leading arts centre shaped the heart of the city.

Stuart Hobley, Head of HLF London, said: "The South Bank is one London’s most vibrant and popular riverside areas. With the help of nearly £5m of National Lottery players’ money, the Southbank Centre will be able to start conservation work and also give its historic archive a complete overhaul. As long-term supporters, we are always impressed with the Centre’s ability to reinvent itself as well as effectively engage with the local community as well as both domestic and overseas visitors."

Joyce Wilson, Area Director, London, Arts Council England, said: "The Heritage Lottery Fund Award is fantastic news for Southbank Centre. As a vital part of London’s artistic and tourist infrastructure, Southbank houses many arts and cultural spaces, and this restoration project will enable it to continue delivering world-leading facilities and cultural programmes for many years to come."

Further funds need to be raised in order to complete this phase of work and so Southbank Centre has launched Let The Light In, a campaign to raise the remaining £3.9m. There are unique opportunities for audiences and organisations to become involved and support the project, for example by sponsoring one of the unique features, including an iconic Hayward Gallery roof light, a seat in the Queen Elizabeth Hall auditorium, or one of the dressing rooms.

The Hayward Gallery, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room will close on 21 September for two years while the work takes place. During this time, Southbank Centre’s classical programme will continue at the Royal Festival Hall as normal with its chamber performances taking place at St John’s Smith Square. The Hayward Gallery will close following this summer’s popular Carsten Holler: Decision exhibition and will focus on its extensive touring programme until reopening takes place in 2017. The Undercroft skate park will remain open throughout the works along with the roof garden.

Notes to editors

The refurbishment project

Southbank Centre has appointed Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios to lead on the repair and maintenance project. Building on the success of the Royal Festival Hall refurbishment, the project will prolong the life of the buildings for future generations and includes the following:

• refurbishment of the Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room auditoria to restore the character of the venues including renovating the walls, floors and ceilings and retaining and restoring the existing seats; and new, upgraded technical production facilities for performances
• a refurbished Queen Elizabeth Hall Foyer incorporating a new ceiling, and opening up the riverside wall with new glazing, refurbished ticket desk, cloakroom and toilets;
• improved access for both audiences and artists, including accessible dressing rooms
• replacement and upgrade of building services including the central plant, heating, cooling and ventilation, water supply, lighting, including specialist stage lighting, fire alarm, security, and IT cabling
• restoring the iconic Hayward Gallery Pyramid Roof to allow controlled natural light into the upper galleries as originally conceived, and refurbishing the galleries including the renovation of the stone floors
• repairing exterior terraces to improve drainage and accessibility
• enhancing the environmental performance of these 1960s buildings, minimising energy consumption

About the Southbank Centre

Southbank Centre is the UK’s largest arts centre, occupying a 21-acre site that sits in the midst of London’s most vibrant cultural quarter on the South Bank of the Thames. The site has an extraordinary creative and architectural history stretching back to the 1951 Festival of Britain. Southbank Centre is home to the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room and the Hayward Gallery as well as The Saison Poetry Library and the Arts Council Collection. For further information please visit the Southbank Centre website.

Further information

Southbank Centre's Corporate Communications Manager Isabella Sharp on 020 7921 0967 or Isabella.Sharp@southbankcentre.co.uk or Helena Zedig, Senior Communications Manager, on 020 7921 0847 or Helena.Zedig@southbankcentre.co.uk.

For further fundraising information please contact letthelightin@southbankcentre.co.uk, tel: 020 7921 0984.