Showroom Cinema: Safety netting planned as crumbling Sheffield venue seeks more than £1m for repairs

A crumbling Sheffield cinema will leave safety measures up indefinitely while it waits for £1m repairs, the boss says.

Scaffolding was installed at the iconic Showroom a year ago to prevent brickwork falling on to people. It could be replaced by cheaper netting while the search for grants continues, chief executive Ian Wild said.

The 1930s former car showroom is made of glazed brick which is cracking. It is “significantly worse” on the Shoreham Street side.

Mr Wild added: “We are disappointed it has taken as long as it has. We undertake regular inspections and if anything were to come loose hopefully we would find it before it falls off.”

The cost of repairs is estimated at more than £1m, he added. The cost of scaffolding so far was not disclosed.

“It’s an iconic building in a key position and we’d like to repair it and improve its general look. But we don’t have sufficient reserves to fund repairs. As a charity we are fortunately in a position to seek grant funding.

“We don’t anticipate any impact on the cinema. We believe repairs can be completed without closing it, or the Showroom, and attendance is growing all the time.”

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The building is owned by Sheffield City Council which is also facing a multi-million pound bill to repair the Central Library.