News / redfield
Campaign to revive historic cinema still alive
An intensive campaign to restore a famous cinema in east Bristol may be in jeopardy after The Crafty Egg secured a part of the building.
Save Redfield Cinema is a campaign group which hopes to bring the cinematic grandeur of St George’s Hall back to life. The venue had been home to a pub for over 20 years. The old cinema is located at the top of the building.
Campaigners have said that the owners behind the upcoming Crafty Egg have been “privately and publicly supportive” of their vision and believe there is a way for both the cinema and cafe to coexist.
In an update about the campaign via X, formerly known as Twitter, campaigner Paul Burke said building owner Landrose outright rejected Save Redfield Cinema’s offer to lease the building stating “health and safety concerns over the auditorium and their liability as landlords.”
*Full Campaign Update*
Hello to all our amazing supporters!We wish the Crafty Egg well and encourage them next to meaningfully engage the under-served communities of Redfield and St George in developing their offering. The building has served the area for over 100 years ?1/13 pic.twitter.com/ZEM6PDkitx
— Save Redfield Cinema (@CinemaRedfield) July 31, 2024
He added: “We pressed again to ask if the site is ‘really’ for sale, but this question has been ignored, just as it has been since the Community Right to Bid window opened.
“The owner also remains largely dismissive of us as a group, despite our petition of over 10,000 signatures of support for the campaign; full cross party council support; 1,800+ objections to their twice failed planning attempts, and our successful defences of the building as an asset of community value.”
If Landrose agreed to sell the building, potential developers and partners could collaborate to get the cinema working again with special events and screenings for the local community.
A spokesperson from Save Redfield Cinema told Bristol24/7: “We offered to lease the remainder of the building.
“We put that offer in during the moratorium period in June. And the developer did not get back to us throughout the moratorium period.
“He waited until it expired and then declined the offer of lease on the grounds of health, safety and liability. And then he said that he was surprised we had not put in a bid. ”
Built in 1912, St George’s Hall Electric Palace – as St George’s Hall was then known – had a seating capacity of 750. Some of the most popular films played there included the 1926 romantic adventure Don Juan and the 1925 war drama The Big Parade.
According to public documents, the venue was sold to Landrose Ltd for £800,000 in 2021.
Landrose have not yet responded to a request for comment.
Main photo: Save Redfield Cinema
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