North Yorkshire Council is set to replace Harrogate Theatre’s boilers by December after a fault was found.
The authority, which is the landlord of the building on Oxford Street, said a routine inspection found the aging facilities had to be replaced.
David Bown, chief executive of the theatre, told the Stray Ferret that an issue with the boiler was identified in the summer.
As a result, temporary heaters have been put in place for shows to continue.
The Stray Ferret asked North Yorkshire Council how much the replacement boiler will cost the authority and when it would be installed.
Kerry Metcalfe, North Yorkshire Council’s assistant director property, procurement and commercial, said:
“As the theatre’s landlords it is our duty to ensure the building has a safe heating system.
“During a routine service visit, the theatre’s boilers were found to be faulty, so they had to be capped off in line with Gas Safe standards.
“Due to the age of the existing boilers, there was no option but to fully replace them. Given the building’s age and the complex work involved, it raised the cost to a level where we had to put the replacement out to a competitive tender process.
“This process has now been completed and work to install the new boilers has begun. The work is due to be completed in December. The work has been budgeted for and final cost estimates are currently being compiled.
“Arrangements are in place for temporary heaters to be used to allow the theatre to function as normal and for shows to continue.”
The work is the latest to take place at the theatre in last few years.
Last year, a £1 million project to replace the 120-year-old roof at the building was completed. The works were initially meant to be completed in September 2021, but were delayed due to covid and labour shortages.
Read more:
- Image Gallery: Replacing Harrogate Theatre’s 120-year-old roof
- Malcolm Neesam History: Harrogate’s once lively street theatre scene
Men jailed for £143,000 burglaries at new housing sites in Harrogate district
Two men have been jailed for their part in stealing newly-installed boilers and other equipment worth £143,000 from housing developments in the Harrogate district.
Shaun Andrew Finley, 34, of Goldthorpe, Barnsley, and Stephen William Case, 43, of Dunscroft, Doncaster, targeted boilers, furniture and other equipment belonging to building companies and contractors.
They struck at homes in Harrogate, Knaresborough, Killinghall, Kirk Hammerton and Dishforth.
Finley was jailed for five years and Case for four years and two months when they were sentenced at York Crown Court on Friday.
The court heard that between June 1 and December 15 in 2020 they targeted prestigious new build developments 22 times.
According to a North Yorkshire Police press release today, officers identified a pattern in the burglaries which involved the same method of breaking into the properties and removing the items.
The press release added:
“They specifically targeted houses that were ready for occupation. This caused considerable disruption and upset to the homebuyers and added cost and inconvenience to the developers.
“Through detailed analysis of CCTV and automatic number plater recognition data, the investigation team were able to place the vans and cars they were using – often driving in convoy – in and around the new build locations that they burgled.
“They also uncovered that Finley and Case were actively avoiding detection by registering, and insuring, their vehicles in the names of innocent members of the public. They also used cloned registration plates. This resulted in the arrest of two men who had nothing to do with the crimes, as well as numerous speeding tickets.”
Read more:
- Burglars jailed for stealing £6,000 worth of goods from Starbeck Co-op
- Jail for drug dealers caught outside Harrogate’s Valley Gardens
At the sentencing, Judge Sean Morris commended the work of detective sergeant Steve Peachman, the now retired detective sergeant Marcus Dawson, and analyst Libby Edison for the effective investigation which secured the convictions.
The Judge said they were “a credit to North Yorkshire Police and the people of North Yorkshire”.
DS Steve Peachman, from the force’s operation expedite unit, said:
“The outcome of our investigation shows that if you choose to embark on conspiracies with organised crime groups, you can expect lengthy custodial sentences.
“We proved that Finley and Case were principal participants in committing crime in North Yorkshire.
“They used a high degree of sophistication, but it was not enough to escape justice.”