Safety fears over ceiling sees Chorley Town Hall cancel Christmas events

Issuing a statement on their Facebook page Chorley Council said that they had been left with no choice but to close the Lancastrian Suite in Chorley Town Hall after finding a number of cracks on the ceiling.

They said: “Following some minor water ingress to the Town Hall during recent heavy rains, repairs were commissioned to take place this week with suitable scaffolding erected. This has enabled closer inspection of internal surfaces and unfortunately a number of cracks were found on the ceiling of the Lancastrian Suite.

“Regrettably and as a direct result, we have had to make the decision to close the room to the public and cancel a number of forthcoming bookings as a precaution.

“This is really disappointing, however trust that those who have hired the suite and the public realise it is something out of our control.”

They added that they were working with contractors, but in the meantime have cancelled all room bookings until the end of January 2024 and that those with pending bookings had been contacted and offered advice on alternative venues.

A number of events had been due to take place this weekend including Leyland Band who have had to cancel their forthcoming Christmas concert this Sunday.

Jim Doran said: “We have had to cancel our Christmas concert this Sunday (December 3). We have looked for an alternative venue but there none are available unfortunately.”

The large function room had also been earmaked to host Chorley Music Festival's first ever ChorFestive Christmas Party next Friday. A spokesperson for the music festival said they were working hard to secure alterantive accommodation that could house 200 people and would be making an updated announcement in the next couple of days.

For those who had booked to attend the Town Hall Pantomime on Sunday, December 17, the Council said they would be in touch with all ticket holders with further information in due course.