DERBY'S Assembly Rooms will be closed for a minimum of 18 months following a blaze which tore through the roof of the car park four weeks ago. Derby City Council has announced that the venue, which is 36 years old, will be out of action due to an "ongoing assessment of damage" following the fire.
Now, the authority is working on ways to either refurbish or replace it.
Find out which shows have been affected here.
Last night, the council said it could not evaluate a cost to repair or refurbish the building and said that the matter was "subject to on-going assessment of damage after the fire", but leader of the council Paul Bayliss said it would cost "millions" to put right.
The closure will mean hundreds of performances will be cancelled, although people will be refunded.
The council has also announced that the Assembly Rooms car park will remain closed until further notice "to ensure safety of the public".
An investigation into the fire, which happened on Friday, March 14, found that the blaze started in an air conditioning unit on the top floor of the car park and is believed to have been caused by overheated machinery.
At its height, 75 firefighters and 16 engines fought 40ft flames and a huge plume of dense black smoke was left hanging across the city.
Adam Wilkinson, chief executive of the council, said: "Due to the on-going assessment of damage after the fire, it has become clear we cannot reopen the building as quickly as we would like.
"We are continuing to work through the various options open to us, based on either refurbishing or replacing the current building."
The Assembly Rooms was opened by the Queen Mother in the Jubilee year of 1977 – the year Derby became a city.
The first concert was performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, of which she was patron.
The building cost £4.5m at that time and has since brought big names to the city, including Elton John, Iron Maiden and The Smiths.
After the fire broke out, council officials said the venue would not host a show until May and Derby Live rescheduled a number of shows which were initially cancelled.
Comedian Sarah Millican had been due to appear at the venue last month and her performance was rescheduled to Monday to Wednesday, May 26 to 28.
It has not been confirmed whether she will still perform in the city.
The latest news also means that events such as Derby's Comedy Festival will not take place in the building.
The city's first comedy festival was due to kick-off on June 13 with comedy queen Dawn French.
Her new show, 30 Million Minutes, based on her life and career, was set to be the headline and opening act.
The council has said customers who have bought tickets for shows later this year at the Assembly Rooms will be reimbursed in due course and those with tickets for shows in April/May will be contacted first by Derby Live box office.
The council says that it still hopes to be able to hold the annual pantomime at an alternative venue in the city.
The venue also plays host to thousands of University of Derby graduates each year who attend the city's Assembly Rooms to collect their degrees.
The Derby award ceremonies for the class of 2014 were scheduled to be held at the venue from January 14-16, 2015 but last night the University could not say what would happen.
Mr Bayliss said the work was a "much bigger job than anybody thought".
He added: "The main problem is that we have got a 1970s building and two floors of the car park which have effectively been destroyed."
He said the cost to sort the damage would be "millions of pounds" and said that the council was insured for "most of it".
Anton Rippon, Derby Telegraph columnist and Derbeian of 69 years, said he had long thought that the Assembly Rooms was a "real blot on Derby's townscape".
He said: "The fire might actually present a wonderful opportunity to bulldoze the lot – tourist information office and all – and build something really worthwhile.
"That said, Derby's planners haven't covered themselves in glory over the years.
"I wouldn't leave it to them. If there is to be a complete rebuild, I'd run a competition and ask the people of Derby to judge it.
"There can be no complaint then."
Local historian and author Maxwell Craven said: "I imagined there would be extensive damage to the building.
"I just hope they can find an alternative venue to host the planned events.
"If the building is replaced, then I hope the design would fulfil modern requirements.
"And if it is refurbished, then it means the facilities would hopefully be upgraded, which cannot be a bad thing."
