'Incredibly relieved': no injuries as Albury building's ceiling gives way

Albury Council staff were alerted to the building failure after 3pm on Wednesday, June 5.

The council-operated hall was vacant at the time and there were no injuries to report.

Albury Council revealed in a statement on Thursday, June 6, that part of the suspended ceiling in the banquet hall collapsed and fell to the floor in the area furthest from the stage.

It recently hosted more than 500 people at the 10^th edition of Stars of the Border Dance for Cancer in May.

"We are incredibly relieved that no one was in the hall at the time, and our teams have now secured the site to ensure ongoing safety," Albury mayor Kylie King said.

"Next steps involve an assessment of the building structure and condition and establishing plans for remediation works.

"Unfortunately, this will lead to some changes to event planning, however our entertainment centre team are working with hirers and community groups to minimise disruption where possible."

Nearby businesses on Swift Street didn't hear anything out of the ordinary, but one worker said a person who visited their store revealed they had been in the venue hours before the incident occurred.

The banquet hall will be closed until further assessments are undertaken and remediation works have been completed.

The theatre and other sections of the venue remain open.

One of the next major events slated for the centre was the 2024 River Reflections conference, hosted by Murray-Darling Basin Authority on June 19 and 20.

Murray-Darling Basin Authority was contacted by The Border Mail, but asked all inquiries regarding Albury Entertainment Centre be directed to Albury Council's media team.

A $30 million upgrade of the convention wing, which included state, federal and Albury Council funding, was due to start in 2026 and be completed in 2028.

The convention wing was built in 1972 and underwent upgrades in 1993 and 2009.