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Inspections on the roof areas of Preston’s Guild Hall have now been completed as work continues to assess a fix for the crumbly concrete blighting the city’s main venues.
Both the roof of the Grand Hall and Charter Theatre were confirmed in January to have RAAC (Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete) which meant the venue couldn’t re-open as planned last year when it was first suspected to be engulfed in the RAAC crisis.
Since then Preston City Council have said ‘complex’ works have been undergoing to enable the inspections by specialist engineers.
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No timescale is given for reopening the city’s flagship venue – which last held a full-scale concert or show in 2019 – and the repair bill is expected to run into seven-figure sums.
Council chiefs have been waiting for specialist engineers to go up on scaffolding inside both venues to inspect the roof areas.
A report will now be prepared by structural engineers on how the RAAC will be contained and councillors will then need to decide a way forward.
Deputy leader and cabinet member for resources councillor Martyn Rawlinson said: “The site is a complex one and work is progressing. To date, work has comprised asbestos removal in the roof area, followed by installation of internal scaffolding so that the roof could be inspected safely. These works are now complete and we await the report from the structural engineers.”
All options remain for the Guild Hall in terms of demolition or repair and Blog Preston revealed earlier this year the taking back control of the building has put a more than £3million pound cost on the city council’s books since 2019. This included legal costs following the legal battle with the late Simon Rigby who had operated the venue between 2014 and 2019 when he took it on from the city council who previously ran the Guild Hall.
In the interim the foyer area of the Guild Hall, now known as The Guild Lounge, re-opened as a venue in October this year.
Cllr Rawlinson said he has been encouraged by the start the venue, which holds around 300 people seated and more for standing events, has made.
He told Blog Preston: “Preston City Council is up for the challenge of reopening the Guild Hall. We knew it would be difficult reopening the Guild Hall, even in part after so many years of the venue being closed to the public and we never underestimated the scale of the task in hand.
“A lot of work has been undertaken to ensure that the venue was ready for a modern, paying audience. The Guild Lounge was a new concept and it hasn’t been easy, but the Guild Lounge is starting to demonstrate some early success as support for the events programme at the venue continues to grow.
“Since its launch and effectively as a new start-up venture, the Guild Lounge venue has consistently attracted audiences with mid-ticket prices, attracting a paying audience back into the city. We are committed and working hard to keep growing this audience and to find new, different genres and shows to attract new and diverse audiences. Additionally, we hope that in time the Guild Lounge can fulfil a vital need identified by the artist community, as a performance space in Preston.
“This venue can provide a platform for emerging and established performers alike, addressing a long-standing gap in the local arts scene.”
Cllr Rawlinson said they were encouraged by the BBC recently hosting an event at The Guild Lounge and said it was part of bringing paying audiences for cultural events back into the city.
The initial proposal is to run The Guild Lounge for six months and the January to March programme of events is due to be unveiled in the coming weeks ahead of Christmas.
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