Cockermouth's Kirkgate Centre has to find £800,000 more to pay for its planned redevelopment.

The shock news means that building work will no longer start next autumn, as originally hoped.

Kate Parry, general manager, said: "Our design team and quantity surveyor have done a huge amount of number crunching in recent months and the capital we need has risen by about £800,000, pushing the total to over £3 million.

"It's a combination of things which all add up. The biggest part is the rising cost of mechanical, electrical and plumbing work.

"Many costs have gone up in the past two or three years. Key materials, such as glass, are more expensive.

"As far as the cafe and bar is concerned, we want to install the best possible, to ensure it lasts a long time.

"The centre has also expanded its heritage hub plans."

While there is still much work to be done, Mrs Parry is confident that funding and support will be found.

She added: "It was a real knock, for me personally, and a real blow for us all. We have put in so much time and effort since 2010 to get this far.

"We were expecting an inflationary increase but not this.

"I and board members have thought about all the different options and we still believe this is what the Kirkgate Centre needs and we want to achieve.

"This kind of setback is part and parcel of major capital budgets. 

"The support from our volunteers has been amazing and that has given us a huge boost."

It was planned to close the centre next autumn to start work.

Mrs Parry said: "It will take a bit more time to put the full package in place so we have decided to stay open all next year.

"It’s important that we only close when we are completely ready to do the redevelopment."

More than £1.5m has been pledged to Kirkgate Arts so far.

The Arts Council England has committed £850,000 to the scheme and The Heritage Lottery Fund has allocated £500,000. Allerdale council is contributing £100,000 towards the project through its Social Investment Fund.

The Power to Change – a new Big Lottery Fund programme that supports community businesses, has also contributed £56,000.

Kirkgate Arts has raised over £50,000 in the past year and half through community fund-raising, with the help of Friends of the Kirkgate and a crowd funding campaign.