THE future of an £11m scheme to save a famous theatre from demolition was plunged into uncertainty last night.

Civic leaders are to hold urgent talks about the planned restoration of the 100-year-old Royal Hall in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, after a long-awaited Lottery grant fell £2m short of what was needed.

In its heyday, the theatre hosted stars ranging from the Beatles to Cliff Richard - but Harrogate Borough Council now faces a massive bill to rescue it after the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) awarded a grant of about £6.5m to the project.

The authority had sought funding in the region of £8.4m and, although it could possibly find £2.7m from available capital resources, it is unlikely to be able to contribute a further £2m.

Council leader Geoff Webber said: "I understand that the issue needs to be resolved with some urgency, but we clearly need to give a lot of thought to our options before arriving at any conclusion."

The HLF board allocated £580,500 to help the council take the scheme to its development phase and, dependent on the outcome of that, a maximum of a further £6m.

Conservative group leader, Mike Gardner, welcomed the decision, saying: "This should cover the major threat to the building caused by the crumbling concrete, but leaves the council with a large bill to cover most of the costs of refurbishment."

The long-running campaign to save the venue has received widespread backing, including support from actor Edward Fox, whose great-grandfather was mayor of Harrogate from 1889 to 1892.