City leaders have agreed more than half a million pounds of spending to replace an ailing heating system and rewire the historic King’s Hall in Ilkley.

The heating system has caused problems with leaks and heating failure, resulting in functions having to be cancelled at the Station Road public building, Bradford Council officers told the Council’s Executive. The building also needs to be rewired, and a new alarm system and emergency lighting system fitted, officers said in a report.

Work is expected to take place this summer.

Organisers of the Ilkley Summer Festival say other venues have been selected for various events this August, and one event will be held in July, before the hall closes for the work.

The heating work will cost a total of £435,000.

In their report to the Executive, officers said: “The system in its present state will not hold its water integrity for another heating season. The proposal is to replace the boiler and pipe work and separate the site into several zones.

“This will improve the operating efficiency of all zones across the site and significantly reduce energy consumption.”

The work will involved removing the existing heating system, which has reached the end of its life, installing a new boiler, and fitting new pipes, with an efficient new system.

The hall urgently requires new pipes due to major leaks over the last year, say council officers, and the system is in “very poor condition”.

The electrical work budgeted for is £145,143, and will include a new alarm system and emergency lighting system.

The Council felt King’s Hall needed to be rewired in conjunction with the re-piping, due to age and condition.

“This will cause less disruption to the site and closure,” said officers in their report.

The spending was approved on Tuesday as part of a £4.25 million scheme to undertake essential building improvements on 15 Bradford Council-owned buildings, and make compliance improvements on a further five Council buildings.