Future of Derby Guildhall thrown into doubt

Derby City Council has announced that the city’s Guildhall theatre will remain closed “for an extended period of time” and will not open in time for Christmas.

Work on the theatre has been delayed after contractors discovered that the fabric of the building is in worse condition than previously thought.

Problems with the building came to light last year following repairs to the auditorium ceiling, leading to its closure in January.

The theatre was expected to reopen later in the year but it is believed to be in such poor condition that the necessary repair work would put its historic infrastructure at risk and require Listed Building Consent.

Councillor Matthew Holmes, deputy leader of Derby City Council, said: “This has been an immensely frustrating situation for us all as each step in the repair process has led to the discovery of additional issues.

“It is, of course, disappointing that we can’t re-open for Christmas but this is now the right time to take a breath and rather than just repair the ceiling, we need to consider what else we need to do to be able to restore this vital historic building properly.”

A Christmas show that was set to take place at the theatre, The Christmas Toy Shop Mystery, will be cancelled and all customers will be refunded in full.