Work to replace the roof at The Sands Centre, Carlisle has reached another major milestone with the first layer of the new auditorium roof now successfully installed.
Work has progressed at pace since restarting in September last year and the complex removal of more than 200 tonnes of the old roof panels was safely completed just before Christmas.
Since then, the project team led by Cubby Construction and Cumberland Council has made significant progress with the first layer of the all-new roof system now installed.
Work is taking place safely and efficiency under the protection of a bespoke designed, fully enclosed canopy structure. Constructed using over 16 miles of scaffolding components, Cubby Construction introduced additional safety features to ensure the strength and resilience of the temporary roof structure would be able to withstand a storm event with higher wind speeds than that of Storm Éowyn, which delayed work early last year.
The project remains firmly on track for the auditorium to re-open in mid-June 2026 and the countdown has officially begun to welcome audiences back for an exciting programme of shows and events at The Sands Centre.
Leader of Cumberland Council, Cllr Mark Fryer, said:
“It is great to see progress being made and now that the RAAC panels have been removed and that the new roof is being installed. We are on track to have the work completed and the event programme up and running by this summer.”
Kirk Taylor, Managing Director of Cubby Construction, said:
“Our teams at The Sands Centre have been making strong progress with the installation of the new auditorium roof. The first of seven layers has been completed and we’re confident of maintaining this positive momentum, ensuring work continues at pace and the project remains on schedule.
“This has followed our redesign and installation of a much-stronger roof protection canopy and the removal of a significant amount of old roof panels. We remain committed to delivering a safe, durable, and high‑quality outcome for this key community project.”
Greenwich Leisure Ltd (GLL), Operator of The Sands Centre said:
"It is great to see the substantial progress that has already been made on transforming The Sands Centre and the huge strides taken towards reopening this June!
“Since November’s announcement we have now successfully dealt with all affected performances and have contacted customers directly with rescheduled dates and/or their available options.
“We are extremely excited to welcome audiences back to our venue this summer and can’t wait to welcome back many premier productions to our great City.
“As we head towards reopening, we are announcing more and more shows weekly and encourage everyone to follow us on social media, so they don’t miss a thing. We have many more exciting announcements to make so keep your eyes peeled.”
In addition to the removal and replacement of the RAAC panels, the council is also undertaking some additional internal improvements to the auditorium including a full replacement of the customer seating and upgrades to the back of house facilities.
As part of the roof replacement, several associated works will also be carried out.
These include upgrading the ventilation system (which involves visually altering the roof profile by removing the plenums), enhancing the lighting system, and upgrading the fire alarm system.
Additionally, the roof access will be improved to facilitate future maintenance of the equipment located on the roof.
The temporary closure of the events space to allow the works to be undertaken does not impact on the day to day running of the main leisure centre.
The new main Sands Centre leisure provision is unaffected, which includes the pools, gym, studios, sports hall and reopened Riverside Café.
To check out the huge variety of upcoming shows and events and to book tickets visit thesandscentre.co.uk or call the Box office on 01228 633 766