Cinema set to reopen following RAAC works
Abingdon-on-Thames Town CouncilA cinema found to contain reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) and asbestos is set to reopen following the completion of works to make it safe.
Abbey Cinema in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, was closed at the beginning of October for a major refurbishment but was forced to extend its closure following the discovery.
Abingdon Town Council helped the venue relocate the cinema screen across a few corridors to an older part of the town's Guildhall which used to host its magistrates' court.
The authority will formally hand the building back to the cinema on Tuesday, with the cinema scheduled to start showing films again from 11 April.
The council said the RAAC mediation works cost more than £250,000.
It extended its gratitude to the Abbey Cinema "for its cooperation throughout this process and to the community for its continued support while the cinema operated from its temporary home".
The stand-in auditorium at the Old Magistrate's Court was ready in time for the release of Paddington in Peru, one of the biggest films of last year.
But during the works at its original home the council said the £2.5m cost to fully renovate it was "beyond the council's means".
It said it was seeking "technical, financial and legal advice" and a meeting would take place to discuss the issue.
RAAC is a form of cheap, lightweight concrete that has a limited lifespan of about 30 years and is susceptible to structural failure.
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