Cumberland Council, jointly with the tenants of the Whitehaven Civic Hall, have taken the decision to temporarily close the building with immediate effect to undertake safety improvements.
The council owns the freehold of the Lowther Street building and leases it to the Rosehill Youth Theatre trust who operate it, including its principal events space; The Solway Hall.
The closure decision follows recent inspections which have concluded that the current arrangements need to be improved. Whitehaven Library, which is attached to the Civic Hall building, is not affected by the closure and will continue to operate as normal.
With the closure now in place, the council plans to carry out the works required to make the building safe. It is hoped that the building will be able to reopen in the summer.
In the longer term, the building’s future will be considered as part of the work to develop a masterplan for Whitehaven. The Whitehaven Masterplan will set a bold, strategic direction and aims to create a thriving, sustainable town that celebrates its history while embracing a dynamic future.
With several events scheduled for the venue over the coming weeks, the council is working with the operators to explore alternative arrangements where this is possible. The operators will be contacting any affected customers in due course. In addition, the council’s ceremonies team are working closely with those couples who have weddings planned during the period of the temporary closure to ensure they have support to find alternative venues.
Cllr Barbara Cannon, the council’s Executive member for Financial Planning and Assets, said: “Closing a much-loved community building – even temporarily - is not one we take lightly, however, keeping staff, tenants and members of the public safe is our top priority.
“This temporary closure means that we can keep people safe while work is carried out to get the building reopened and back in use for the community in the short term, while also giving us the time to carefully assess the options for the longer term.”
Anyone with tickets for upcoming events, or other booking enquiries, should contact [email protected]