Extra £2million needed to complete work at Stockport theatre plagued by RAAC

An extra £2 million could be needed to complete works at a theatre in Stockport that has been plagued by dangerous concrete, a report has revealed.

The Forum Theatre in Romiley has been closed since last September due to RAAC, causing the loss of performances and costing the operating company - NK Theatre Arts - thousands in lost income.

Stockport council has provided £300,000 for the first phase of work needed to get the theatre open again, which includes adding support to the roof to carry the weight of RAAC panels and prevent a collapse.

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This work is due to begin this week and is set to be finished towards the end of May.

While it will help the Forum Theatre to safely reopen in the interim, more repairs are needed to finish the job.

A full removal of the RAAC panels is expected to cost between £1.5 million and £2 million.

This includes the removal of the roof coverings and each of the RAAC panels and their disposal, as well as forming a new roof structure.

It requires 'securing a funding package' for the repairs and creating a timeframe for the works, to ensure the building can be empty for an appointed contractor.

This will result in the 'temporary suspension' of activities at the theatre when this work is eventually underway.

In March, Coun Lisa Smart and Frankie Singleton accused the government of failing to provide money to pay for repairs at buildings across the country, including the Forum Theatre.

But councillors at Stockport's Werneth Area Committee said last night (April 15) that they are looking forward to getting the first phase of work completed over the next month.

They also hinted that there could be