Whitby Town Council to consider approval of ‘critical’ repairs to town’s Pannett Art Gallery

A full meeting of Whitby Town Council will decide whether to approve repairs to the town’s Pannett Art Gallery deemed “critical” and identify funding opportunities to meet the costs.

A report prepared for the full council meeting states that a committee “resolved that the electrics, front section of the displaced soil pipe to the front of the building, the heating system, flooring, and legionella testing are classed as critical”.

The committee also concluded that the council should decide on a time scale to carry out the work “subject to funding”.

The repairs are set to cost tens of thousands of pounds, and the council report states that this year’s £60,800 budget for building maintenance “is fully committed”.

Following an electrical survey completed in April, the council concluded that all the work should be classified as ‘critical’ with the key consideration being “the urgency of this work and the opportunity to progress this during a period of planned closure”.

The anticipated cost of the electrical works is £13,500, according to the authority.

Also classed as “critical” are repairs to the gallery’s flooring which was deemed “unstable” and warped due to a combination of temperature, internal room humidity, and water from the public “walking in from a wet outside”.

The flooring works have been given a budget cost of £25,000.

Additionally, an external drainage survey also undertaken in the spring identified required works costing around £20,000.

However, these vary in severity, impact, and urgency, and the council has estimated that the critical work will cost £1,500.

Proposed upgrades to the Pannett Art Gallery’s heating system have also been classed as urgent and would include replacement boilers to heat the ‘new’ wing.

Whitby Town Council has estimated that the boiler replacement is likely to cost around £5,000 “but additional costs will flow” from related reconfigurations.

The report for the full council meeting on Tuesday, July 4, also states that exterior decorating work has already been approved and will be carried out over the summer at a cost of £20,000.