THE multi-million pound redevelopment of two historic buildings is in peril after the contractor working on the site went bust.

The Brighton Dome Corn Exchange and Studio Theatre are midway through a £21million transformation which began in 2017.

But R Durtnell & Sons Ltd, the building company tasked with completing the work, has ceased trading.

A spokesman for Brighton and Hove City Council said it has now “taken back the site and made it secure.”

He added: “Over the coming days we will be exploring practical options for continuing and completing these essential restoration works as soon as possible and taking forward the wider Royal Pavilion Estate project.

The Argus:

“The Royal Pavilion Estate includes the Royal Pavilion, Brighton Museum and Art Gallery, Royal Pavilion Garden, Brighton Dome Concert Hall, Corn Exchange and Studio Theatre.”
 

R Durtnell & Sons Ltd is claimed to be Britain’s oldest construction firm.

It was founded in 1591 and is believed to have been handed down from father to son for 13 generations.

In recent years it has been responsible for several high-profile heritage restorations including Dulwich Picture Gallery, Turner Contemporary in Margate, and Brighton College’s music school.

It was entrusted with the transformation of the Brighton Dome Corn Exchange and Studio Theatre in early 2017.

The refurbishment is the “first phase of a wider project to re-affirm Brighton’s Royal Pavilion Estate as a key cultural destination by equipping it for a sustainable future”.

The Argus:

A council spokesman said: “Brighton Dome Corn Exchange and Studio Theatre refurbishment is the first phase of a wider project to re-affirm Brighton’s Royal Pavilion Estate as a key cultural destination by equipping it for a sustainable future.”

He also said the “revitalised Royal Pavilion Estate” will support 1,241 full-time jobs and have an “economic impact of up to £68 million”.

But the project has hit several setbacks since it began two years ago.

A Quaker burial ground was uncovered underneath the site in August 2017, with human remains excavated by a team of archaeologists, and structural issues have been discovered with the Corn Exchange’s 200-year old wooden frame and roof trusses.