The campaign to save a derelict cinema in Redfield has grown following a new appeal from the building owners whose plans could see the site turned into a 44-bed HMO, gym and workspace.
Following rejections and withdrawals for its previous planning applications the building’s owner, Landrose, has appealed the decision over its HMO plans to the government’s Planning Inspectorate.
Now the Save Redfield Cinema campaign wants experts in planning law to help it with its bid to save the site.
Sharing the news on Instagram, the Save Redfield Cinema campaign page said: “They [Landrose] can do this due to delays with Bristol City Council’s planning process.
“The decision will now be taken centrally and NOT at a Bristol planning committee meeting. This is new territory for the campaign and we would welcome advice from anyone experienced with the Planning Inspectorate process.”
Redfield Cinema, which is located on Church Road and still sits empty today at the top of its building, is part of a venue that holds the status of an Asset of Community Value. The building, named St George’s Hall, opened as a cinema in 1912 before expanding 15 years later, shutting in 1961 to become a bingo hall, and then a pub. A Wetherspoons was there from the 1990s, closing in 2021, and the space recently became the third branch of The Crafty Egg cafe, opening in October 2024.
Local residents campaigned for the Church Road building to be put into community use and for the cinema to be restored. The Crafty Egg now has part-ownership of the building and, upon opening its new cafe branch, said that the agreement ‘covers the front half of the pub, excluding the old cinema section, beer cellars, kitchens, utilities, bathrooms and rear customer areas’.
The team added: “Nonetheless, we adore the space and are confident the Church Road community will too. Should investors aiming to renovate and restore the cinema area to the rear ever purchase it, we support that vision and pledge our assistance!”
According to the official Save Redfield Cinema campaign site, the new proposal from building owners Landrose comes following initial plans to “destroy the cinema and fully convert the site into a 44-bed HMO”. The campaign adds this “has sparked well over 2,000 objections across two attempts to get the scheme through planning”
The first application to convert the cinema and pub into a 44-bed HMO was made in March 2021. The campaign page says that this application received 956 objections, with just one in support of the Landrose scheme. It was later withdrawn in June 2021 before being formally rejected by the Council.
Then a second application was received in December 2022. A year later, the plans (the campaign reports) garnered in excess of 1,300 objections with no comments in support.
Anyone who wants to help the campaign group can contact them here.