THE multi-million pound project to turn Bradford’s old Odeon building into a live music venue has been delayed by a year.
The Bradford Live transformation is now expected to open in autumn 2023 instead of this year – due to extra work being uncovered to bring the 1930s building up to scratch.
Lee Craven, the man behind Bradford Live, told the Telegraph & Argus that the flooring on the balconies and foyers had degraded too much to be saved – and needed to be ripped up entirely and replaced.
He added that small amounts of asbestos had also been found, which had further pushed the schedule back.
It means that the project, which was once given an opening date of summer 2021, will have been delayed by over two years in total.
Speaking exclusively to the T&A, Mr Craven said: "It's going to be well into next year. We can't give a firm date, because the issues that we're dealing with on site are still in a state of flux. We still have to work on the programme again. So, we can’t be definitive at the moment.
“The main issue is something we could only have found out once we got on site and began work.
“The flooring on the balconies and foyers were made of concrete planks with a wooden former in the middle and they were covered over with plaster and when we've come to take that plaster off, we find that they are far more rotten than we expected. So, we made the difficult decision to strip them all out and replace it with brand new floor, which is great for the building longer term, but it just delays us.
“It means the plan was to put a lot of scaffolding on those old planks and we can't do that until the new floor is in and so this is why we're shuffling about and we're reworking the programme.”
He did add that the delays would not impact on the contract with the NEC to run the renovated building as a live music venue.
“That’s still secure,” he said, “The NEC are fully involved in all these discussions.”
When asked about the knock-on effect of the delay on the budget for the project, Mr Craven, said they were still working through any increased costings, adding: “All delays cost money, unfortunately.”
“Later this year we should be able to firm the timetable up, and give a more definitive opening date, but there are still too many things in flux at the moment.”
“It’s frustrating, but it's an old building, you expect to find these things and then the schedule needs adjusting.
“Although it was a difficult decision. I think it was the right decision. We want to do the job properly, and these new floors will give the building at least another 100 years of life.
“The NEC has said the same and I'll say it again, when it’s done it will be well worth waiting for.”
The Bradford Live project was one of the venues in the district on the itinerary for the City of Culture 2025 judges.
Mr Craven said he was delighted with Bradford’s win, saying it was something the city “needed and deserved”.
"This is a good example, I think, of the city not just hanging around waiting for somebody to throw it a few crumbs. It's actually investing in its future.
"We were able to show that to the judging panel, and they were impressed with the scale and ambition.
"I think that helped to swing it – the fact that the city was already investing - wasn't just assuming things would fall its way, we're going to build our way, invest our way out.
“There's no bigger investment in the city centre than this.”
When the T&A was granted a tour of the 1930s building earlier this week, a number of changes were evident on site.
Keighley-based contractor RN Wooler & Co Ltd is the main contractor for the works, and there were vast amounts of scaffolding throughout the site and numbers of workers busy in different sections of the building.
As you can see from the pictures the T&A's photographer was able to capture, there is a long way to go, but the transformation is taking shape.
The former cinema and theatre has been empty for over two decades, but the Bradford Live project will see the building turned into a 3,800 live music venue.
Bradford Live has a long-term lease from the building owner, Bradford Council, and has an agreement in place to sublease it to the NEC Group as operator in what is a 30-year deal.
Opening in 1930 as the New Victoria, the building changed its name to The Gaumont in 1950. For three decades after 1969, the building operated as an Odeon cinema and Top Rank bingo club, before finally closing its doors in 2000.
Faced with demolition, a grass-roots campaign group fought successfully to save the building, with Bradford Live taking up the challenge in 2012 to find a long-term viable use for the iconic Bradford building.
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