New Roof to Take Centre Stage at Community Theatre

A £3.5 MILLION scheme to replace the roof of The Cresset, a community hub and theatre in Peterborough is now underway.

The project is being carried out by Lindum Group. The construction company is replacing most of the ageing flat roof with a new pitched standing seam structure, along with reroofing several of the remaining flat roofs while also improving the building’s drainage system.

Lindum says it expects to be onsite at the venue in Rightwell until March 2025.

The work is part of a £5.1m project to secure the long-term future of The Cresset building, which was made possible by a grant from the Youth Investment Fund (YIF).

Lindum Group MD, Darren King, said: “The work we are doing will improve the fabric of the building, but it will also uplift and update its appearance too. It’s quite a significant project and will involve replacing some existing flat roofs with pitched, resurfacing others and re-routing and replacing old drainage channels throughout the building.”

The Cresset

The Cresset is a trading subsidiary of YMCA Trinity Group, a charity supporting young people across Cambridgeshire and Suffolk. It currently works with up to 2,000 young people each year through performing arts programmes.

The YIF money will help the charity to extend and increase its performing arts opportunities at the Peterborough venue.

The capital funds will be used to make improvements to The Cresset building. These include:

• Replacing the roof and drainage over the whole building
• Replacing the existing theatre seating
• Installing an accessible theatre dressing room space
• A new lighting rig and environmentally sustainable theatre lighting
• A stage lift to allow accessible performance opportunities

Darren Buckman, Head of Cresset Operations said: “The Cresset is a busy building, with a huge range of activities and customers under its roof every day, so the planning of the programme of works has been crucial to minimise the impact on our customers, tenants, and partners.”

The Cresset was one of 46 venues across the country to receive grants from the government’s Youth Investment Fund last March.

Lindum recently completed work at Peterborough’s Key Theatre following the discovery of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) in September last year. The team worked 12-hour shifts alongside subcontractors to install a supportive timber frame and get the venue open in time for Panto season.

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