Work to replace the roof of Carlisle’s Sands Centre auditorium has reached a major milestone.
Workers have successfully installed the first layer of the new roof.
Over 200 tonnes of the old roof panels were removed before Christmas after work restarted late last year.
Work had to be paused in January 2025 after Storm Eowyn caused the temporary covering to lift.
The Sands Centre’s auditorium has been closed since reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete panels were discovered in the auditorium’s roof in September 2023.
The material had to be removed after government guidance changed about the use of it in buildings.
Contractors Cubby Construction began work in 2024.
It was hoped the auditorium would reopen in autumn of 2025 but work was paused after Cubby Construction was acquired by Cubby Group in July.
Cumberland Council said in November that work had restarted following agreement on a revised programme with Cubby Group.
A bespoke canopy was fitted to the roof. Built using over 16 miles of scaffolding components, Cubby Construction introduced additional safety features to ensure the strength and resilience of the temporary roof structure would be able to withstand a storm event with higher wind speeds than Storm Éowyn.
Cumberland Council said work remains on track for the auditorium to reopen in mid-June this year.
Leader of Cumberland Council Mark Fryer said: “It is great to see progress being made and now that the RAAC panels have been removed and that the new roof is being installed. We are on track to have the work completed and the event programme up and running by this summer.”
Kirk Taylor, managing director of Cubby Construction, said: “Our teams at The Sands Centre have been making strong progress with the installation of the new auditorium roof.
“The first of seven layers has been completed and we’re confident of maintaining this positive momentum, ensuring work continues at pace and the project remains on schedule.”
Greenwich Leisure Ltd (GLL), operator of The Sands Centre said: “Since November’s announcement we have now successfully dealt with all affected performances and have contacted customers directly with rescheduled dates and/or their available options.
“We are extremely excited to welcome audiences back to our venue this summer and can’t wait to welcome back many premier productions to our great city.”
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.
As part of the roof replacement, associated work will also be carried out.
These include upgrading the ventilation system, enhancing the lighting system, and upgrading the fire alarm system.
Roof access will also be improved to facilitate future maintenance of the equipment located on the roof.
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 leisure provision is unaffected, which includes the pools, gym, studios, sports hall and reopened Riverside Café.
