Past News
Please find below an archive of our News and Press Releases for the four weeks previous to the current News page.
Week commencing Monday 6th January 2025
LONDON (Harrow): The big changes coming in 2025 including new residential and social homes
The
restoration of a historic art-deco cinema in Harrow is set to move
towards completion in 2025 after changes to the original plan were
agreed.
The redevelopment of the Station Road site to provide dozens
of new flats, alongside a four-screen cinema, had hit a snag after the
previous builder ‘went broke’ before it was finished.
CHELTENHAM: Iconic building The Daffodil to become a family home
Plans to transform the site at 18-20 Suffolk Parade into a family home have been given the nod.
Objectors fear
it will mean the historic beauty of the former cinema and restaurant will be lost.
The
site first opened in 1922, designed by prolific Cheltenham architect
Leonard William Barnard, with seating for up to 750 cinemagoers.
EDINBURGH: Timeline announced for iconic Edinburgh Filmhouse cinema reopening
Work to revive the Filmhouse on Lothian Road will get underway within the next few weeks, The Scotsman reported.
The charity spearheading efforts to reopen the site confirmed that contractors will start work later this month.
GLASGOW: Glasgow man launches petition to safeguard the future of former Possilpark cinema
Andrew Moore is appealing to the public to join his efforts to ensure the former V
ogue Cinema, on Balmore Road, which has sentimental value to him, isn't demolished.
Currently,
the former cinema is a C-listed building. Demolition work had begun by
the current owners, however, it was given protection status by Historic
Environment Scotland who listed it as a building of special historical
and architectural interest - causing works to stop.
GOSPORT: Criterion arts venue could have "shocking implications" for council finances
The
project to revamp Gosport’s Criterion building could leave the borough
council stumping up cash to keep it afloat as it would never make a
profit.
The proposed flexible, multi-purpose arts space is set to lose money for years.
Gosport
Borough Council’s policy and organisation board was told that to start
renovating the Criterion would cost £1.42 million. It would then cost
hu
ndreds of thousands to keep it going.
The Criterion, in Forton Road, was bought by the council for £600,000 in 2022 as for a new entertainment venue funded by grants.
MINEHEAD: One of the best value for money entertainment venues in Somerset
One of the best value entertainment venues where you can watch the new Hollywood films for just £4.
The
Avenue Cinema, in Minehead, is a popular venue for everyone who lives
in Minehead - but most people across the rest of Somerset aren't aware
of the cinema.
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Week commencing Monday 30th December 2024
NATIONAL NEWS: Merlin Cinemas founder named MBE in New Year honours list
Merlin
Cinemas' founder, Geoff Greaves, has been awarded an MBE in the King's
New Year honours list for his outstanding services to cinema.
The cinema chain was founded in 1990 and operates 18 venues across the country, including two in Scotland.
ABINGDON: Cinema's full revamp ruled out due to £2.5m cost
A
cinema found to contain reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC)
and asbestos will not be fully renovated because the town's council
cannot afford the repairs.
Abbey Cinema in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, was
initially closed for a brief period at the beginning of October, but
was forced to extended its closure af
ter RAAC and asbestos were discovered.
Its owner, Abingdon Town Council, said a full renovation would cost about £2.5m which was "beyond the council's means".
BIRMINGHAM: Cinema's we've loved and lost - in pictures
With
the closure of the Electric Cinema, we've taken a nostalgic journey
back to the numerous Odeons and cinemas across our region that have shut
their doors over time.
The cinema on Station Street, reputedly the
UK's oldest operational cinema, reopened in 2022 under new management
following the pandemic.
Over the years, we've seen many 'Picture
houses' disappear from our landscape. They were once a common sight in
every town and district, lining major routes like the Stratford Road.
BRISTOL: Campaign to save derelict Redfield Cinema intensifies
A
campaign to save Redfield Cinema, which remains derelict, has
intensified, as a planning application from the building owners to turn
the site into new housing has been appealed.
The Save Redfield Cinema
is a campaign group which hopes to bring the art deco venue of St
George’s Hall back to life since it closed in 2021.
The venue that
holds the status of an Asset of Community Value (ACV) on Church Road,
had been home to a pub for over 20 years, previously owned by
Wetherspoons.
EAST LOTHIAN: Musselburgh Conservation Society talk on old cinemas
The
talk, entitled 'Oor Scratchers: Old Cinemas of East Lothian', will be
led by Dr Hanita Ritchie and take place on Tuesday, January 8, at 7.30pm
in St Peter's Church Hall, High
Street.
The discussion will delve into Scotland's 'golden age' of
cinema-going, illustrating the love affair Scots had with the silver
screen.
Dr Ritchie will present a wealth of photographs, recounting
tales from East Lothian's more than 20 venues that thrived between the
1890s and the 1970s.
LIVERPOOL:
'Iconic' cinema transformed to its former glory
A
"rare and iconic" Merseyside cinema and music hall has undergone an
extraordinary transformation 67 years after the theatre closed its
doors.
The former Prescot Picture Palace is one of the most historic buildings in the town.
The
former Picture Palace is now the 26th historic building in Prescot town
centre to benefit from restoration work as part of Knowsley Council’s
wider regeneration programme for the town.
The Grade II listed site is a rare e
xample of its type and was one of the earliest cine-variety houses in the country.
After years of closure could 2025 finally see historic cinema reopen its doors?
It has been close to five years since a film was shown at Woolton Picture House.
The
historic cinema has been found on Mason Street in Woolton since 1927
but its doors have been shut since the first Covid-19 lockdown in 2020.
However,
last year saw the first meaningful step in the long road to reopening.
In August, a planning application to renovate parts of the cinema in
order to allow it to reopen was submitted to Liverpool City Council.
Submitted
by Jonathan Woodward (Woolton Picture House Limited), the application
intends to replace the roof covering, introduce new facilities and
refurbish part of the building.
The plans were appro
ved subject to conditions by the city council in October. The
conditions include work beginning within the next three years and
ensuring that refurbishment works are in keeping with the building's
heritage.
After years without closure, film fans in Liverpool will
hope that 2025 will see movement towards returning to the beloved
cinema's red seats.
RINGWOOD: Formal plans submitted to turn former cinema into shops and flats
Ringwood-based
developer Halo Developments has lodged a formal planning application to
transform the former Regal Cinema in Ringwood’s Market Place.
The
proposal involves part demolition, refurbishment, alteration, and change
of use of the listed building to create a commercial floorspace and 11
residential dwellings.
WORCESTER: Odeon Cinema on Foregate Street celebrates 75th anniversary
Odeon Cinema, on Foregate Street, Worcester, is celebrating its 75th anniversary in January.
Despite
opening in 1949, the site of the cinema had been owned by Odeon since
the 1930s, making it just one of six Odeon Cinemas in the UK
commissioned by founder Oscar Deutsch still standing.
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Week commencing Monday 13th January 2024