RAAC-hit venues added to Theatres at Risk Register in 2025

RAAC-riddled theatres the Brunton, the Harlequin and Motherwell Concert Hall have been added to the Theatres Trust’s Theatres at Risk Register as the list approaches two decades of advocating for building preservation. 

The three venues, two of which are facing imminent demolition following the discovery of potentially dangerous concrete (RAAC) in their infrastructures, are among five new additions to the register alongside Oswaldtwistle Civic Theatre and Arts Centre and Cannock’s Prince of Wales Theatre.

All five are local authority-owned, mid to small scale venues located outside of major cities.

Announcing the 2025 register, Theatres Trust director Joshua McTaggart noted that RAAC was proving a "particularly tricky" problem, and warned cash-strapped local authorities that cutting arts provisions would rob communities of "vital facilities".  

Only one theatre has been removed from the list this year, with Theatre Royal Hyde deemed "no longer at risk" by the trust following repairs spearheaded by the local Islamic Resource Centre. 

It is now once again used regularly as a cultural centre and has potential to host performances "if demand for this arose". 

Conceived in 2006, the at-risk register highlights theatres across the UK under threat of closure or suffering from severe decay, and calls for redevelopment to safeguard them. 

There are some 43 theatres on the register overall, including Dover’s Roundhouse Theatre and the Brighton Hippodrome – which last year topped the list for the ninth year running. 

However, four new theatres jointly top the list this year: Salford’s Victoria Theatre, Hulme Hippodrome and Plymouth Palace, which all received maximum scores for the level of immediate threat to their buildings, and Theatre Royal Margate, which, although not scoring the most points in the risk category, was given the highest overall score due to the local need for a theatre and its value to the community. 

Meanwhile, previous high-scorers Brighton Hippodrome and Morecambe Winter Gardens have both had their scores reduced this year, with the trust reporting "steady progress" on capital redevelopments at a number of venues. 

To date, more than 80 theatres have been saved following their inclusion on the register. 

Three of the five new additions to the register are in danger due to RAAC in their infrastructure. 

Scottish theatres the Brunton and Motherwell Concert Hall both closed their doors in 2023 after becoming two of the first theatres to be crippled by the cost of repairs to the unstable material and were recommended for demolition by their respective local councils in 2024. 

Meanwhile, the future of the Harlequin, a Surrey-based theatre and arts venue, will likely be decided by a council meeting this week following an inspection that indicated a significant amount of RAAC within the buildings’ roofs and floor, a "high-risk" infrastructure that would cost an estimated £10 million to replace. 

Cannock’s Prince of Wales Theatre has been lined up for permanent closure this April by a local council looking to plug a £1.3 million shortfall in its budget. Theatres Trust labelled the news, first announced in November, a "huge change in circumstances" for the theatre, which was due to be refurbished as part of the first round of the previous government’s ’levelling up’ fund. 

The final new addition to the register, Oswaldtwistle Civic  Theatre and Arts Centre, closed in 2023 after more than 150 years when the operator went into liquidation. Although Hyndburn Borough Council has since commissioned extensive investigation of what is required to bring the building up to modern standards, it remains closed and will require "significant investment" to reopen, according to the trust. 

McTaggart said: "We understand that local authorities are faced with making tough decisions, but the savings made in the short term will leave communities without vital facilities. 

"Buildings where RAAC is present are particularly tricky, but it is important that communities are not left without theatre provision. 

"Theatres Trust wants to work with local authorities and theatre operators to explore all possible options and find solutions to put theatres like this on a firmer footing."

Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre co-chief executive Claire Walker labelled the fact that all five new additions to the register were local authority-owned venues "sadly unsurprising", and reiterated SOLT and UK Theatre’s appeal to the government for £300 million to stave off theatre closures. 

"With local government funding for culture in England slashed by 48% since 2009, many councils are struggling to maintain these vital cultural and community spaces," she said.

“A recent survey shows 40% of theatre buildings face closure without urgent investment. Theatre should be accessible to everyone, everywhere. Without sustainable funding, entire regions risk losing their theatres. 

“We urge the government in its upcoming comprehensive Spending Review to commit to a pot of £300 million over 10 years. This could prevent closures and unlock theatre’s potential to drive growth and revitalise local communities."

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