Guild Hall decision 'to be made within a year'

It will cost between £60-£100m to build a new arena to replace Preston's Guild Hall, the city council has said.

The entertainment venue, which opened in 1973, has been closed since 2019 amid the collapse of the company which was then operating it.

It was set to reopen in 2023 but was then further delayed after the discovery of the crumbling concrete Raac.

The authority said it would spend "a maximum of one year" seeing whether it was feasible to raise the money or repair the venue.

Deputy leader, councillor Martyn Rawlinson, said Preston, which has been without a flagship entertainment space for more than five years "desperately needs to attract footfall and visitor spend in the city centre".

"The cost of delivering a new build scheme of this size and scale, is currently beyond this council's budget and quite possibly beyond any future unitary council's budget, post local government reorganisation," Rawlinson told the authority's budget meeting.

"At the same time, we will cost the current renovations which include a new roof and bringing all fixtures and fittings up to current requirements, making it fit for purpose as a modern venue for smaller scale concert and touring shows.

"Within 12 months, we will know what the best option is and then aim for an operational venue in time for the Guild celebrations in 2032 or sooner."

A structural report by specialist engineers was carried out last year to assess the extent of the unsafe Raac concrete throughout the building that has been beset by problems.

The upper floors including the Grand Hall and the Charter Theatre have been deemed as high-risk structures due to the types of planks used for the ceilings, making both venues unsafe to enter.

Whilst the council explores options around the Guild Hall's mid to long-term future, the 350-seater Guild Lounge, on the first floor is unaffected by the Raac roof structure and will extend its event programme until 2027.

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