It has been revealed that the Sands Centre’s auditorium will not reopen until June 2026.
It means shows scheduled until then at the Carlisle venue will be cancelled or rearranged.
The Sands Centre’s auditorium has been closed since reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete panels were discovered in the auditorium’s roof in September 2023.
Around 200 tonnes of the material had to be removed after government guidance changed about the use of it in buildings.
Contractors Cubby Construction began work last year.
Work was delayed in January this year after Storm Éowyn damaged a temporary canopy over the roof.
It was hoped the auditorium would reopen in autumn of this year but work paused after Cubby Construction was acquired by Cubby Group in July.
Cumberland Council said today, Thursday November 12, that work had restarted following agreement on a revised programme with Cubby Group.
Cumberland Council said: “After the change in ownership, Cumberland Council’s project team worked closely with the new Cubby Group management and GLL to develop a safe and practical plan for work to resume.
“The delay stemmed from the severe damage caused by Storm Éowyn, that took place earlier this year, and the need for comprehensive reassessments of the temporary roof canopy to ensure the structure’s long-term safety and resilience.
“Work is now well underway and will be completed in time for the event programme to restart mid-June 2026.”
Events scheduled between February and June 14, Cumberland Council said.
GLL, which operates the site on behalf of the council, will contact ticket holders directly with further updates. People are asked not to contact the box office.
Leader of Cumberland Council Mark Fryer, said: “The Sands Centre repairs have been hit by a series of issues that were out of our control including the impact of Storm Éowyn earlier this year.
“This has caused a number of challenges, but work has now restarted, and we look forward to seeing the works completed.
“We understand the frustration and disappointment for ticket holders.
“GLL is working with their promoters to find solutions for the affected dates so please keep an eye out for emails with further updates.”
Kirk Taylor, managing director of Cubby Construction, said: “Since Cubby Group acquired Cubby Construction in July 2025, our priority has been to work collaboratively with Cumberland Council, and GLL, alongside using our own Cubby Group subsidiary, Laidlaw Scaffolding and canopy design teams to ensure works at the Sands Centre continue to progress safely, efficiently, and to the highest standards.
Following the exceptional wind conditions and damage caused by Storm Éowyn, Cubby Construction carried out comprehensive reviews within which additional safety margin factors were considered and introduced to ensure the strength and resilience of the temporary roof structure would be able to withstand a storm event with higher wind speeds than that of Storm Eowyn.”
Greenwich Leisure Ltd, operator of the Sands Centre, said: “GLL is working closely with promoters to secure alternative arrangements for affected events.
“We kindly ask customers not to contact the box office directly at this time.
“Ticketholders will be contacted as soon as possible by their original point of purchase with all available options.”
In addition to the removal and replacement of the RAAC panels, the council is also undertaking some additional internal improvements to the auditorium, including a full replacement of seating and upgrades to the back of house facilities, it said.
As part of the roof replacement, associated work will also be carried out, including upgrading the ventilation system, enhancing the lighting system, and upgrading the fire alarm system.
Roof access will be improved to facilitate future maintenance of the equipment located there.
The temporary closure of the events space to allow the work to be undertaken does not impact on the day-to-day running of the main leisure centre.
The new main Sands Centre building’s leisure provision is unaffected, which includes the pools, gym, studios, sports hall and reopened Riverside Café.
