A Surrey theatre with “critical risk” concrete in its structure could take up to five years to reopen, a council says.

Redhill’s Harlequin Theatre has been closed since September 2023, when reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) was discovered in the building.

It will potentially remain closed until 2030 while Reigate and Banstead Borough Council (RBBC), which owns the theatre, carries out the £10m safety refurbishment work, said the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Council leader Richard Biggs said: “I understand the strong feeling and interest in resolving this situation at the Harlequin.”

He said: “The critical red nature of the Raac panels means that this is going to take some time to resolve.

“Optimistically two to three years, possibly up to five years to get it back.”

The closure of the Harlequin Theatre forced the council to look at providing alternate venues but early searches to find a 500-seat venue have so far proved fruitless.

The council has still not ruled out the possibility of finding a larger venue but says it is more likely that the arts community will have to settle for something less than half that size.

Mr Biggs added: “If we’ve got to spend the money I want to spend it straight on getting the Harlequin back up and running.”

RBCC says it is looking for a range of sites to fulfil the theatre building’s roles, including a cafe, audition spaces and performance venues.