Council to support restoration of historic cinema

A project to return a historic Devon cinema to its former glory is set to take a major step forward this week.

Torbay Council’s cabinet committee is expected to pledge £2.5m worth of support for the project to restore the Paignton Picture House when it meets on Tuesday evening.

Councillors are being recommended to agree to spend £900,000 from the Future High Streets fund on the project, as well as underwriting the delivery of the rebuild themselves to a cost of about £1.6m.

The decision will mean work can continue on the restoration of what is reputedly the oldest surviving purpose-built cinema in Europe.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the council’s move comes in response to a request from the Paignton Picture House Trust, which has set out to raise the funds itself, only to be set back by escalating costs and a strict deadline.

In a letter to the council, trust chairman Paul Hawthorne said his team believed a year ago that the funding was in place, but rising costs and inflationary pressures meant a "gap" had opened up.

The Arts Council has agreed to funding for the rebuild, but has said it needs to see the rest of the money in place before it does.

As a result, the trust needs Torbay Council to underwrite fundraising efforts so the Arts Council will release the crucial cash.

Cabinet members will vote on joining a "tripartite" agreement with the trust and the Arts Council to ensure the project goes ahead.

A report to the cabinet said the council would keep a "robust" eye on the costs of the cinema rebuild, while the trust would have the right to oversee and challenge any council decisions if it needed to.

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