Cinema 'a key objective' after years of delays

Building a cinema remains a "key objective" for a Lincolnshire town, five years after plans were announced.

Proposals for a £4m, 300-seat cinema were set out by North Kesteven District Council in July 2019.

Members of the authority unanimously supported the project amid hopes it would "re-energise" the town, but progress was set back by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Now, the leader of the council has said the cinema remains firmly on the agenda and the authority is hoping to put forward visions for the town centre “during the current financial year”.

Councillor Richard Wright said: “The realisation of a cinema remains a key objective within both the Sleaford Masterplan and the council’s investment aspirations.

“Given the volume and nature of many public comments regretting – as I do – that it has not happened yet, I am reassured that we continue to be doing the right thing by exploring opportunities to bring [a cinema] to fruition.”

The original plans envisaged a cinema in the heart of the town, along with a new footbridge over the River Slea, connecting Money’s Yard to Market Place, and a public open space.

A previous cinema, Flicks, in Southgate, was converted into a nightclub in 2000.

Town councillor Dave Darmon said he was disappointed by the delay and argued that a cinema would benefit the local economy.

“It would be great to keep that income in Sleaford and would also be better for the environment if people don’t have to drive out of town to watch a film.

“Maybe a subsidy could be offered for a year or two to attract a cinema operator?”

Earlier this year, the district council “explored” the possibility of putting money from a £3.2m government grant towards a cinema, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

However, "the nature of the funding meant that very little of it could have been spent on an actual building", Mr Wright said.

"But, as I say, our enthusiasm to bring a solution forward is unchanged."

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