Cubby restarts Sands Centre RAAC work
Damage to the Carlisle venue caused by Storm Éowyn in January forced the contractor and Cumberland Council back to the negotiating table, while Cubby’s takeover also complicated matters.
Work is now back underway and the shows will return to the auditorium in June, several months later than Cumberland Council, which owns the venue, had planned.
Leader of Cumberland Council, Cllr Mark Fryer, said: “The Sands Centre repairs have been hit by a series of issues that were out of our control including the impact of Storm Éowyn earlier this year.
“This has caused a number of challenges, but work has now restarted, and we look forward to seeing the works completed. We understand the frustration and disappointment for ticket holders. GLL is working with their promoters to find solutions for the affected dates so please keep an eye out for emails with further updates.”
Cumberland Council closed the Sands Centre in October 2023 after RAAC, which is prone to sudden catastrophic collapse if damaged, was discovered.
Cubby was appointed to replace the RAAC in 2024 but work stopped when the storm hit.
During the hiatus, Cubby was taken over by Svella, which is headed up by former Stobart director Andrew Tinkler.
Kirk Taylor, managing director of Cubby Construction, added: “Since Cubby Group acquired Cubby Construction in July 2025, our priority has been to work collaboratively with Cumberland Council, and GLL [which operates the venue], alongside using our own Cubby Group subsidiary, Laidlaw Scaffolding and canopy design teams to ensure works at The Sands Centre continue to progress safely, efficiently, and to the highest standards.
“Following the exceptional wind conditions and damage caused by Storm Éowyn, Cubby Construction carried out comprehensive reviews within which additional safety factors were considered and introduced to ensure the strength and resilience of the temporary roof structure would be able to withstand a storm event with higher wind speeds than that of storm Eowyn.”
In addition to the removal and replacement of the RAAC panels, the council is also undertaking some additional internal improvements to the auditorium including a full replacement of the customer seating and upgrades to the back of house facilities.
The new main Sands Centre building’s leisure provision is unaffected, which includes the pools, gym, studios, sports hall and reopened Riverside Café.
