The project to refurbish the Royal Festival Hall in London is to be helped by a grant of �15m from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The music venue, which opened during the Festival of Britain in 1951, is a Grade 1 listed building at the centre of the South Bank arts complex.

The accoustics and seating in the auditorium are to be improved, and the public areas modernised and upgraded.

The rest of the cost is expected to be met by more Lottery money through the Arts Council of England and by a fund-raising campaign.

A new building alongside Hungerford Bridge is planned

The planning permission for the modernisation programme was granted by the local Lambeth Council in March.

The building's foyers will be renovated, the original entrance restored and new public spaces opened up, including a new caf�.

The Hall is home to two orchestras, the Philharmonia Orchestra and the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

'Masterplan'

It attracts two million visitors a year and half a million buy tickets for arts events.

Its refurbishment is the first phase of a "masterplan" for the whole 27-acre South Bank site.

The arts complex includes the Hayward Gallery, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room and Jubilee Gardens next to the London Eye.

The plans are being drawn up under the direction of architect Rick Mather and are expected to be finalised early in 2003.