Theatres Trust raises concerns as demolition contractor appears at Derby Hippodrome

26th March 2008

On Tuesday 25 March an excavator, owned by contractor AB Demolition, appeared outside Derby Hippodrome as the deadline for its owner to carry out essential repairs ordered by Derby City Council came to an end. The Trust fears that the presence of the contractor will lead to further damage to the theatre. We hope that local people will be vigilant over the next few days and continue to report any suspect activity to the Council and to us. This is a critical time when the theatre is at its most vulnerable and faces greatest risk.

The Trust has been contacted by a number of local residents who are extremely concerned at the appearance of the contractor. We have been in contact with the Council which has reported that the excavator is intended to prevent any collapse of the Macklin Street wall.

The Theatres Trust is deeply worried about the lack of care shown already by the theatre’s owner Mr Anthony. The interior of the building has been vandalised and important features including anti-proscenium boxes and the circle front have been deliberately removed. The fire on the 9 February 2008 demonstrated the lack of security on the site and the poor duty of care that has been shown to this grade II listed building.

It has only been a year since the theatre was sold to Mr Anthony and since then the theatre’s auditorium has been wrecked. Listed buildings require consent to prevent this kind of thing happening. Failure to obtain consent is a criminal offence and it is within the power of Derby City Council to identify and prosecute those who caused the damage and issue an enforcement notice to the owner to restore the building to its proper historic state.

As we understand it the building remains structurally sound and the urgent work is needed to prevent collapse of the now fragile flat roof over the auditorium. The external walls are in good condition. The fire only affected the orchestra pit and its only damage was to this area.

In cases such as this we would expect propping and scaffolding to be securely erected and properly checked by building control before any work was undertaken.

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