Courtyard theatre's future at risk over £600k repair bill

The venue, which opened in 1998, needs repairs of about £600,000

The future of Hereford's Courtyard theatre is under threat due to "urgent and costly" structural works, venue chiefs have said.

A row has erupted over the funding of the repairs, with owner Herefordshire Council accused of turning its back on the 25-year-old site.

Surveys show the glazed external walls need replacing at a cost of £600,000.

The council said it had spent "considerable time" trying to find a solution, which theatre bosses refute.

"The Courtyard took a full repairing lease of what was a brand-new building," a council spokesperson said.

"We would expect any tenant to plan for end-of-life scenarios. Any upgrades or replacements remain firmly with the Courtyard in this instance."

But chairman of the theatre's board, Bruce Freeman, said: "No leaseholder with a 99-year lease should expect to face the replacement of half the building, or prepare for end-of-life after only 25 years."

The venue, which opened in 1998, is also a cinema and gallery and is hugely popular with families and tourists.

They have discovered the curtain walling on the outside of the building was only designed to last 25 years and needs replacing and the board is liable for the work.

But the Courtyard has been given legal advice that the council is liable for putting right what the theatre called "fundamental defects in its design and construction", the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Emergency interim repairs began in January and are expected to cost around £150,000, paid for out of the theatre's "scarce" reserves.

"We hope this will extend the life of this part of the building by at least 10 years, until the curtain walling can ultimately be replaced," Mr Freeman said.

"We remain deeply saddened that our local council, which signed off the original build, has shown so little sign of helping us preserve this valued cultural hub for Herefordshire that generates around £15m a year for the local economy."

Hereford and South Herefordshire MP Jesse Norman called the theatre "an essential asset both for the city and the county of Herefordshire".

"I am no expert in this area, but anyone can see that the footings of the curtain walls were never installed properly in the first place," he said.

Part-funded by the National Lottery and Hereford City Council, the building was designed by Birmingham-based Glenn Howells Associates, which did not respond when asked to comment.