THE restoration of a crumbling Harrogate theatre will be complex, intricate and take two years to complete, its operators have warned.

The 100-year-old Royal Hall, a Grade II listed building, needs more than £11m to restore its structure.

But Harrogate International Centre (HIC), which runs the building as an arm's length operation from the borough council, has said it needs major surgery.

Their warning, in the HIC spring newsletter comes as campaigners fighting to save the theatre from demolition, welcomed a £6.6m National Heritage Lottery grant for the project, leaving £4.5m of funding to be found. The Royal Hall Restoration Trust has pledged to raise £1m.

The HIC has said that to restore the decorative details of the baroque interior will require a full range or restoration expertise.

It said: "Tasks ranging from paint analysis and gold leaf restoration, to replacement of the foundations, typify the specialist and complex nature of this exercise."

Restoration will include improving wheelchair access, the bar area and promenade, upgrading the acoustics and creating a heritage-education space.