Latest news with #MarkFryer
BBC News
8 hours ago
- General
- BBC News
Sands Centre's events season cancelled over ongoing roof works
A leisure venue's autumn and pantomime season will not go ahead after work to remove unsafe concrete in the auditorium roof was slowed by storm removal of approximately 200 tonnes of concrete at the Sands Centre, in Carlisle, got under way last year, but January's Storm Éowyn hit a temporary which manages the venue on behalf of Cumberland Council, said it was working with promoters to reschedule events which were due to be staged between 1 September and 31 is asking people not to contact the box office, adding its team would be in touch with all affected ticket holders in the coming weeks with "further details about their options". The events space has been shut since 2023 following a change in government guidance over the use of Raac, a type of concrete found to have safety council initially aimed to have the work completed by late spring, but now says it hopes to have it finished this winter, with the entertainment programme restarting early next leader Mark Fryer said the contractor appointed for the job had faced "several challenges", with the storm having had "a major impact on the completion of the necessary works".Alongside the removal of the concrete, the ventilation system will be upgraded, the lighting system enhanced and customer seating replaced, while changes will also be made to the back-of-house closure of the events space does not impact on the centre's swimming pools, gym, studios or sports hall. Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
ITV News
9 hours ago
- Business
- ITV News
Carlisle's Sands Centre reopening delayed again
The reopening of the Sands Centre auditorium has been delayed until at least 2026 as the work to remove RAAC panels from the roof continues. Cumberland Council says the delay to the work is due to storm damage from earlier this year. The council had previously stated that work would be completed by spring 2025, but the events programme at the Sands Centre is now not expected to begin again until early 2026. Leader of Cumberland Council, Cllr Mark Fryer, said: 'Our project team and contractor have had to face several challenges, and the storm in January had a major impact on the completion of the necessary works. The team worked tirelessly to deal with the storm damage. 'The Sands is the region's premier venue, and the investment in the new roof and the works planned for the auditorium will ensure it is the venue of choice for our residents and wider audiences." Following the temporary closure of the auditorium last year, GLL, who manage the venue on the council's behalf, moved their classical concert programme to the sports hall within the Sands. A Cumberland Council statement said: "The temporary closure of the events space to allow the works to be undertaken does not impact on the day-to-day running of the main leisure centre. "The new main Sands Centre building's leisure provision is unaffected, which includes the pools, gym, studios and sports hall."
BBC News
5 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Maryport promenade cafe to open later than announced
A new promenade cafe which is part of a £12m regeneration project will open later than previously Council, which is managing the work in Maryport, Cumbria, said the facility would now open in time for the school summer holidays in July."Although we aimed to have the cafe opened by late May, there were a few final things - legal agreements etc - which take time and have meant the cafe will now open later than planned," a spokesman project is part of a government-funded regeneration of the town which has seen a skate park and a play area already open nearby. The town's Maritime Museum was also due to relocate to the refurbished Christ Church, but that part of the project was also hit by several Council said the building work for the cafe was "well under way" and it had appointed Redby Coffee to run the new leader Mark Fryer said connections between the town and the promenade had been improved with the building of a new accessible walkway."The promenade cafe is a key part of the regeneration of Maryport and is going to be an amazing destination for locals and visitors alike," he said. Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
27-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Cumberland Council to launch new campaign to stop worker abuse
A fresh campaign aimed at stopping council staff being abused by the public has been announced, after incidents almost doubled in a reports included one worker being pushed down an embankment and another nearly being crushed when a lorry drove through a closed Council's assistant director of highways and transport, Karl Melville, said staff "have the right to go to work, do their job and come home without being abused".Last year, a similar campaign featured posters of council workers' children placed near roadworks, to remind drivers that those working there have families. Incidents of abuse also saw council staff fitted with a recent council meeting, Mr Melville told members a lorry went through a road closure at a bridge in Sebergham, nearly crushing one of the workers on the bridge, while in a separate incident a vehicle travelled through a road closure and collided with the back of a to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, monthly figures showed incidents of council workers being abused shot up from 34 in March to 64 in April. Mr Melville said the council has "also had situations where half-eaten food has been thrown at our staff while they're doing their work"."That's totally unacceptable," he of the council Mark Fryer said staff safety was a priority, adding the Labour-led council would look at taking private prosecutions "if the police think that it isn't worthy"."We've got to look after our people," Fryer new campaign will be launched over the summer. Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New Premier Inn will provide 'significant' economic boost to Carlisle
A PROPOSED new Premier Inn in Carlisle will give the city a 'significant' economic boost, according to the leader of Cumberland Council, Cllr Mark Fryer. Cumberland Council announced on Wednesday, May 14, that Whitebread PLC, the parent company of the Premier Inn hotel chain, had secured the former Central Plaza site in Carlisle and intends to turn it into a new 104-bedroom hotel. The 'Citadel View' site was previously home to the Grade II Central Plaza Hotel, which was demolished and cleared during 2020 after falling into disrepair in 2011. The council, in partnership with property consultant CBRE, initially sought proposals from potential developers to redevelop the Victoria Viaduct site back in 2023 and has now selected Whitbread as the preferred developer due to the 'strength of its proposal' for the regeneration of the site. Whitbread intends to submit a planning application for the new hotel this summer and is targeting an opening date before the end of 2028. The view of the site from the street (Image: Stuart Walker) Speaking to the News & Star at the site of the proposed Premier Inn on Wednesday, May 14, Cllr Mark Fryer expressed his belief that the new hotel will provide a 'significant' economic boost to Carlisle. He said: "This hotel will give Carlisle a significant economic boost, there is no doubt about that. "This will be the fifth Premier Inn in Carlisle, and that shows that Whitbread and others think that the city is a great place to invest. "This site has been sitting like this for probably ten years, and I knew that if we were to have a significant impact in places like Carlisle and all the other towns we have got, it is their type of project. "It has taken us two years to get here, and we have got a partner in Whitbread who are looking to develop the site out. The location of the site on Victoria Viaduct (Image: Stuart Walker) "We are going to planning in the next few months so they can then start to release their project team to develop the hotel." The announcement of the impending development of the former Central Plaza comes in the midst of a number of projects being undertaken by Cumberland Council to regenerate Carlisle, including the ongoing Market Square and Greenmarket work. In addition, metres from the site of the proposed Premier Inn, Devonshire Street remains closed until June as the council moves into the next phase of the Southern Gateway project, with Cllr Fryer discussing the current dynamic of disruption and development in the city. Cllr Mark Fryer spoke to the press at the site on Wednesday (Image: Stuart Walker) He said: "It is an exciting time for the city... perversely, the more disruption you have is because you are more successful, and that is the key to it. "We have to limit the disruption, but also develop the city and improve it. "To economically develop the city, there is going to be some form of disruption, but in the end, it is always positive."
