Threat to our Art Deco cinema – public meeting on 11th July

The public meeting was well-supported and very constructive, but the committee it elected folded a few weeks later. There is still a group on Facebook to continue in attempts to save the building, but only the facade is in the Conservation Area. The rest of the building falls in one of the council ‘Opportunity Sites‘ along with the Hill car park and the Telephone Exchange building – when this site comes forward and is marketed to developers (for high-rise housing), it will be difficult to prevent demolition.

Despite only restoring the building in 2019, our Picturehouse cinema had it’s final screening this August. There is a local campaign to save the cinema, which we full-heartedly support.  However, a new use, possibly like a community cinema/venue needs to be found for the building, that will bring in sufficient income to support it.

This was a very constructive and well-attended meeting, the campaign will look at ways to continue to use the building for a cinema, and find uses that will provide enough income to support it.

Our vice-chair, Peter Martin, and our Chair, Tony Banfield, will submit the building to English Heritage for listing, again. They hope to locate and include the detailed photos of the building from when it was restored in 2019. Statutory listing would limit what use the building could be converted to, and provide protection from demolition. The building is also in the conservation area.