FINISHING touches are being applied to York Barbican at the end of a £2 million refurbishment, prior to its reopening next week.

The entertainment venue, which has lain mostly unused and empty since 2004, will host a pre-opening charity concert featuring York party band Huge on Tuesday.

The event, which will raise funds for the York Against Cancer and the Lord Mayor’s charities, will serve as a test run for the centre’s ticketing, bars, lighting, sound and other technical arrangements.

Nick Reed, of the centre’s new operators, SMG, said yesterday there were very few tickets left and he was confident the concert would be a sell-out.

“It’s fantastic, as it’s going to raise so much money for the charities,” he said.

A concert featuring the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, which takes place next Saturday, will be the Barbican’s first official event.

Mr Reed said the revamp had included the creation of a new restaurant in the former gym, to be called the Fishergate, which will mainly be targeted at customers who want to eat before watching a concert.

The box office has been refurbished, and the former café area nearby replaced by stands selling everything from ice-cream to rock groups’ merchandise.

Mr Reed said new carpets, lighting and big screens had been installed and the former sports hall has been turned into a production area for acts, with huge roller-shutter doors installed so that articulated trucks carrying equipment can be partially reversed in. Meeting rooms have also been created in areas such as the former crèche.

The auditorium, which will cater for about 1,500 seated, and about 1,850 seated and standing at rock concerts, has needed little improvement work other than a deep clean of the seating, and the building was in good condition structurally.

Up to 70 people were involved in the refurbishment, which was completed to schedule.