Carlisle Sands Centre Raac roof repairs taking 'too long'

The events space at Carlisle's Sands Centre has been closed since September

Repairs to the roof of an auditorium are taking "too long", a councillor has said.

Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) was discovered at the Sands Centre's in Carlisle, resulting in the auditorium closure in September.

At a Cumberland Council meeting last week, Robert Betton said work should have been done "a long time ago".

Labour councillor Barbara Cannon said the procurement of a contractor was "in the final stages".

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Raac had originally been found in the roof in 2019, but events were postponed last September after change in government guidance.

The auditorium is set to remain closed for the majority of 2024 and Carlisle firm Cubby Construction has been appointed to redesign and replace the roof.

Knock-on effect

At a council meeting at Carlisle Civic Centre last week, Independent councillor Mr Betton asked if any other mitigating measures had been considered to make the venue safe until repairs progressed.

In response, Ms Cannon, who is the portfolio holder for financial planning and assets, said measures including steel supports were put in place when guidance changed.

The council had also consulted a steel reinforcement engineer.

Ms Cannon added that advice had shown it was not possible to keep the centre open and they were in the final stages of procurement of a suitable contractor for the repair project.

But Mr Betton said there had been a knock-on effect and local trade had suffered as a result of the closure.

Ms Cannon said the council had acted "very quickly" since government guidance changed.