As well as the skateboarders, the National Theatre also had objections. In early 2014, the scheme was put on hold when the Mayor of London, then Boris Johnson, said he would not support removal of the skateboarding area from the Queen Elizabeth Hall undercroft to under Hungerford Bridge. The development of the undercroft area was a key commercial and financing feature of the Festival Wing new building proposal and the scheme could not proceed in its proposed form without the commercial development or substitute funding which was not available in the amounts required. "Let the Light In" scheme to conserve and refurbish buildings Arts Council England awarded a £16m grant towards a two-year programme of repairs and conservation work on the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room and Hayward Gallery in May 2014 and the scheme was granted planning permission in May 2015. The Southbank Centre also received funding for the conservation and limited alteration scheme, known as "Let the Light In", from the Heritage Lottery Fund and was raising funds from individuals for the final £3 million required. This more conservation-orientated approach has also included joining with the National Trust to make the centre's 1960s buildings' contribution to the Brutalist movement better known. The buildings re-opened in 2018 following completion of the works. Response to 2020 pandemic In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which halted live performances and closed exhibitions, most of the centre's 600 employees were furloughed, and in July 2020 up to 400 were expected to be made redundant. The Hayward Gallery reopened in August but the Royal Festival Hall and Queen Elizabeth Hall were expected to remain closed until April 2021. Resident orchestras The resident orchestras at Southbank Centre are: London Philharmonic Orchestra Philharmonia Orchestra London Sinfonietta Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment Aurora Orchestra Chineke! Orchestra References External links www.concretecentre.org (Concrete Quarterly No. 72, 1968 including article on the South Bank Arts Centre - Hayward, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room) PS (Public Space) article, c.2015 about the design, construction, and reactions to the Southbank Centre (originally the South Bank Arts Centre) The Long Live Southbank campaign to save the skate park in the QEH undercroft location Aerial photos of the site in 1922 and 1946 Arts centres in London Buildings and structures in the London Borough of Lambeth Buildings and structures on the River Thames Brutalist architecture in London Culture in London Music venues in