Councillors to decide within a year the future of Preston’s Guild Hall

Preston City Council will decide within the next year whether it is “feasible” to build a replacement for the Guild Hall, it has been announced.

The authority’s deputy leader, Martyn Rawlinson, told its annual budget-setting meeting that there were “no immediate plans” to demolish the 53-year-old entertainment venue, the main parts of which have been closed for almost seven years.

However, he revealed that the council would pursue a “twin-track” approach for the next 12 months of assessing renovation costs for the existing building – including a new roof – while also exploring whether funding could be raised for a brand new attraction.

The authority has been quoted figures of £60m-£100m for a new-build scheme.

The iconic, council-owned hall was poised to reopen two-and-a-half years ago, following the resolution of the long-running legal wrangle that had forced its closure back in May 2019.

However, that plan was derailed in September 2023 when fears emerged surrounding the suspected presence of so-called ‘crumbling concrete’ – or reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC), as it is officially known – in some sections of the building’s roof. New safety advice issued at the time suggested that the material could collapse without warning.

A lengthy investigation followed, ultimately confirming that RAAC had been used in the Guild Hall’s construction in the early 1970s – and forcing the doors to remain shut on its main performance spaces ever since.

Cllr Rawlinson – who is also the cabinet member for resources – told Thursday’s meeting that the council had been considering reports from structural engineers and experts in the events industry.

He said: “The cost of a new Guild Hall is way beyond this council and probably way beyond any new unitary council [expected to replace the city authority in 2028], the figures we have been quoted are so high.  [But] that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be ambitious and pursue that.

“So we are proposing a twin-track approach for a maximum of 12 months to explore whether that level of funding for a new purpose-bilt events and conference venue – that would serve the region, not just Preston – [would be]… feasible.

“[We will] figure out whether that money is out there at all, whether it’s government money, grants, sponsorship – we’re gong to look at that.

“At the same time, we will design the costs of renovation of the existing Guild Hall.

“But within 12 months, we should be deciding which track to pursue in earnest.”

The authority says that, either way, the aim is for an operational venue to be in place in time for the Preston Guild celebrations in 2032, or even sooner.

However, presenting the Liberal Democrat opposition group’s alternative budget, Cllr Neil Darby said it was with “sadness” he was suggesting abandoning any hope of saving the Guild Hall and instead pursuing the funding necessary to develop a venue to “serve as our cultural heart”.

He said the Lib Dem budget would provide for “the demolition of the old site, a public consultation for the new vision and the creation of a robust business case to secure the necessary grants and funding – and to begin the difficult process of finding the partners and funds we will need to build the next generation of Preston’s Gild Hall.

However, Conservative opposition group leader Harry Landless said he believed the ruling group’s approach of keeping its options open was “more appropriate” – and council leader Matthew Brown accused the Lib Dems of “stupidly” removing an option prematurely.

Meanwhile, the city council says the Guild Lounge venue will have its events programme extended until 2027.   Located on the first floor of the Guild Hall, in an area unaffected by RAAC, the 400-capacity space has been operating for around 18 months.