A theatre has had to cancel a week-long run of Shrek the Musical after fears its roof could collapse amid the reinforced concrete scandal.
The reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) was initially found in the auditorium roof at the Sands Centre in Carlise back in 2019 and was being ‘monitored’ by local authorities - but a change in government legislation led the council to close the auditorium. RAAC hit the headlines over the past week after as hundreds of schools across the country were forced to close delaying the start of term for thousands of youngsters.
The leader of Cumberland Council, Cllr Mark Fryer, has said that the fault of the closure remains with the government. “We've been managing the Raac since 2019, but there's a change in legislation last week and we couldn't meet the requirements that are put in place by the government. It's just ridiculous really so the fault remains with the government.
“You've seen the pantomime that's unfolded over the last few days where one minister doesn't know whether it's her fault or whether it's the Chancellor's fault or the Prime Minister's fault. It's just a total pantomime and we're going to be cast as the pantomime villain for closing the place because people can't get their act together down in Westminster.”
Cllr Fryer added: “The decision to temporarily close the events space is a precautionary step and does not impact on the day to day running of the main leisure centre. Events planned for the auditorium will unfortunately be cancelled until further notice. GLL, the council’s events and leisure provider, will contact ticket holders. This is not a decision that Cumberland Council has taken lightly, and we apologise to anyone who has been impacted."
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The theatre has closed due to RAAC (Google Street View)Labour’s candidate for Carlisle, Julie Minns, has called upon the treasury to shoulder the costs of repairs to buildings to make them safe. “I welcome the prompt action taken by Cumberland Council to protect visitors and users of The Sands Centre from the risks associated with Raac. Rishi Sunak must give urgent assurances that the additional costs of making public buildings safe will be met by the Treasury and not hardworking local council taxpayers who are already struggling due the Tory cost-of-living crisis”.
The root of RAAC problem goes back decades - with the substandard building material commonly used in hospitals and many civic buildings between the 1950s and 1970s. It started to be used in roof, floor and wall construction, with its lightweight properties and lower cost compared to regular concrete making it a convenient choice for in-demand hospitals, schools and office buildings during the post-war population boom. Some issues with RAAC have been known about for around forty years.
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