Theatre boss says building’s RAAC can be fixed

The Chief Executive of the Royal & Derngate in Northampton has said the discovery of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) that forced the building to close for a month in September is less of a problem than initially feared. 

The theatre reopened to audiences in October and is operating at full capacity despite parts of the foyer being closed.

Chief Executive Jo Gordon said: "The good news is the recent RAAC tests that have come back suggest, if you can have such a thing, it's good RAAC.

"It means some of the repairs, some of the mitigation, we can get started on straightaway. It's not the kind of thing that would need a full roof replacement, which was one of the worries in the back of the mind."

Gordon hopes the work will be completed "between now and the summer".