Theatre's £1.1m roof repairs will last '30 years'

The Royal & Derngate in Northampton had to be closed for about a month due to the Raac discovery

A theatre's roof which will cost £1.1m to repair will still need to be replaced in about 30 years, a council has said.

The Royal & Derngate in Northampton had to close its doors last September when reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) - which is deemed unsafe - was found in its foyers.

Subsequent surveys found it would not require a complete roof restoration as first feared.

West Northamptonshire Council has now approved the money for the work.

In a report, the local authority said the repair works were needed as a risk of "sudden and catastrophic failure and thus the risk of serious injury and death" remained, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Council officers said the scheme "should extend the life of the Raac roof planks by at least 30 years".

The building would have a lower carbon impact because of the new materials, the report added.

"Whilst ultimately the roof may still need to be replaced, the works can be deferred for decades," the report author said.

A meeting of the council's cabinet on Tuesday was told the roof would need to be checked annually for any degradation.