As many people know the building started life as a music hall and was converted into a cinema in the 1930s. It continued as a cinema until 1963. It then became a bingo hall for some 45 years until it closed in 2008 due to the slow deterioration of the building.
Planning permission was obtained in 2019 to provide a 3 screen cinema, within a short timescale, and before the opportunity for works to commence we were hit with the pandemic causing a downturn in entertainment and hospitality from which the cinema industry has not recovered and is questionable whether it ever will do. As a result the scheme is no longer viable and the granted planning approval has now expired.
Subsequent to the 2019 planning approval, intrusive structural surveys were undertaken, revealing the steel structure supporting the pavilion has deteriorated to such an extent over its lifespan due to the poor choice of building materials at the time that it is entirely unviable to retain the structure for any future use.
Previous: The local community