Reopening the Upton Centre could cost more than £5million, an independent surveyor has declared.

Newham Recorder: Protesters marched against the centre's closure outside East Ham Town Hall last monthProtesters marched against the centre's closure outside East Ham Town Hall last month (Image: Archant)

The Claude Road site was shut suddenly in December after engineers found the boiler was no longer compliant with legislation.

Roof repairs and masonry maintenance would be required to bring the building back into use for five years, alongside a complete upgrade of the heating system, which the surveyor estimates will cost £2.9m.

To maintain the centre for 20 years will require the additional replacement of windows and doors, relocating the boiler system and changing internal fittings, bringing the total bill to an estimated £5.2m.

A council spokeswoman said that 12 of the centre’s 17 groups were now operating out of alternative locations.

Regular user Asmita Bhudia said: “Obviously we would love for the centre to be open so we can resume our much disrupted activities.

“We feel we have been unfairly thrown out of the centre without any prior notification.”

A decision on whether the Upton Centre will reopen and if so, when and at what cost, is likely to be made at a cabinet meeting next month.

The spokeswoman added: “In the meantime the centre will be boarded and secured by the council to protect the building and its contents, the majority of which belong to the community groups.”