YORK’S Festival of Remembrance may be cancelled this year due to a lack of venue, its organiser has warned.

Ted Griffiths lamented ongoing delays to the refurbishment of the Barbican Centre, which meant the festival would again be forced to look elsewhere this year.

He said the Grand Opera House, which was used last year as an alternative, was unavailable this year.

“The Opera House is already booked on November 1, and we will probably have to cancel,” he said.

“Naturally, we do not want to disappoint York residents and rate-payers, but sadly we may have no choice.”

Mr Griffiths was speaking at yesterday’s meeting of the City of York Council executive at Guildhall, where ruling councillors considered an update on the condition of the Barbican and on possible future uses.

As reported in The Press last week, consultants say £818,000 must be spent before the building can meet even minimum requirements, and millions more would be needed in the long-term.

The centre was set to be redeveloped by Absolute Leisure Ltd, but that deal collapsed in January after the firm missed several deadlines.

Norman Fowler, who performed at the old Barbican under the stage-name Steve Cassidy, said the figures seemed “fantastically over the top”.

Speaking at the meeting, he said York had many good venues, but said: “What we have missed in the past several years in this city is the Barbican, which is unrivalled in its ability to stage major events.”

Former council leader Steve Galloway said: “It would be nice to think that we had reached a point where there had been no further deterioration and all the legislative requirements had been dealt with by Absolute Leisure or a fairy god-mother, but that is not the case.”

He said it would be irresponsible for the council to open the building when it was not in an acceptable condition.

Council official Pete Dwyer, who has been put in charge of the project, said officers were “acutely aware” of the impact the Barbican’s closure has had on the Festival Of Remembrance and also the Community Carol Concert.

The executive instructed officials to hold talks with the organisers of both events, to try to find alternative venues.


‘Unmet demand’

THE Barbican Centre is more likely to become a conference centre than a leisure venue, according to the city’s former leader.

Steve Galloway said the centre had to fill “unmet demand” in the city, and said: “I think that would be closer to a conference facility.”

He said many of the leisure uses of the Barbican were now offered elsewhere. The council is soon to put signs outside the Barbican, telling people where leisure facilities are offered.

A detailed plan, showing potential uses of the Barbican, is to be drawn up later this year.