Council: 'We will listen' on cinema (From St Albans & Harpenden Review)

Council: 'We will listen' on cinema

9:24am Wednesday 13th September 2006 in News By Ruth Holmes

WE will listen to the public this time was the message from St Albans District Council, discussing progess on city centre cinema plans this week.

Council leader Robert Donald insisted public aversion to the Bricket Road cinema plans, withdrawn in May in the face of overwhelming opposition, would be considered to ensure the revised plans were "more attractive".

Speaking at a cabinet meeting at St Albans Civic Centre on Tuesday, he said: "We are trying to reflect on what the public has said to us through the consultation so far.

"They were saying they did not want this cinema; they wanted a cinema but they did not want this one.

"We are reviewing the application in terms of design and some of the options being brought forward do reflect the concerns of the public to the monolithic block slab put forward in the original application."

He added that the development would inevitably still be large-scale but said it should be broken down into more than one building and include fewer parking spaces than originally envisaged.

He added: "This is the last chance as a council we have got to actually get a commercial cinema in St Albans.

"It is the last chance but I think it is our best chance."

Focus groups will be held in the next two months to give community groups and members of the public a chance to express their views on new plans, presented by developers Henry Davidson.

The firm hopes to make a formal planning application before Christmas.

Young people in St Albans and Harpenden were recently invited to give their views on the cinema in front of a camera set up in a garden shed.

The interviews will be made available to councillors as part of the consultation.

Councillor Aisleen Lee said: "Lessons have been learnt about making sure there is a good opportunity for the general public to have a good look at the planning application and respond to it."

Questions were raised at Tuesday's meeting as to whether the cinema would be a "commercial" one showing only blockbuster hits, or whether it would cater for a wider variety of tastes.

Andrew Vermouth, valuer and estate surveyor for the project, stressed that the council would be under contract to the developer and unable to stipulate what sort of films were shown.