Motherwell Concert Hall and Theatre is set to be demolished after plans to tear down the landmark venue and replace it with an expanded car park were approved.
North Lanarkshire Council granted planning permission and listed building consent for the demolition on 19 October, clearing one of the final major hurdles to the loss of a venue that has been part of the town for more than 50 years.
The concert hall and theatre form part of the Category B-listed Motherwell Civic Centre complex on Windmillhill Street.
The venue has been closed since September 2023 after reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) was discovered across 95 per cent of its roof.
Inspections found damage to a number of the panels, including water ingress which could affect the load-bearing capacity of the roof.
The council previously concluded that removing the RAAC and replacing the roof would cost between £10.5 million and £11.65 million as a minimum.
More detailed investigations subsequently suggested a complete repair and refurbishment of the building, including work to services, asbestos removal and heritage requirements, could cost more than £30 million before risk and inflation were taken into account.
Councillors agreed in December 2024 that demolition was the only financially viable option, with the formal planning applications submitted in May this year.
Council leader Jim Logue said at the time that demolishing the theatre and concert hall was the “only economically viable option”, describing it as an “incredibly difficult decision”.
The newly-approved plans will see the concert hall and theatre removed while the main Civic Centre buildings remain.
The cleared site will largely become an expanded car park, with parking across the complex increasing from 251 to 295 spaces.
Plans also include landscaping, a new stepped pedestrian route between the car park and the Civic Centre plaza, alterations to the remaining Civic Centre where it currently connects with the theatre complex and the relocation of the café.
Demolition alone has been estimated to cost between £3.2 million and £3.5 million, with the overall project including the car park and landscaping potentially costing between £5.2 million and £5.7 million.
Motherwell Concert Hall and Theatre officially opened in 1970 and became one of North Lanarkshire’s main entertainment venues.
The theatre had 392 fixed seats, while the concert hall could accommodate up to 1,008 people seated or around 1,600 for standing events.
Over the decades it hosted touring bands and performers, theatre productions, comedy, pantomimes, community events and amateur companies.
The building underwent a major refurbishment in 2011. Its proposed demolition attracted opposition from the Theatres Trust, which placed Motherwell on its Theatres at Risk Register.
The organisation argued that it had not been conclusively demonstrated that demolition was necessary and called for greater scrutiny of the estimated costs and the options for retaining the building.
It has also raised concerns about the loss of an important cultural venue within Motherwell itself, particularly for residents who may find it difficult to travel to performances elsewhere in North Lanarkshire.
Since the closure, events have been moved to venues including Airdrie Town Hall and Ravenscraig Regional Sports Facility, with some performances also staged elsewhere.
North Lanarkshire Council has agreed that options for a future cultural offering should be considered as part of the planned Ravenscraig Hub development.