Owner of Disused Art Deco Cinema Faces Financial Strain After Demolition Rejection

The owner of a former art deco cinema has stated that memories “won’t pay the bills” after local councillors decided to save the building from demolition. The historic cinema, situated on Hobson Street in Cambridge, first opened its doors in 1921 and features an Ancient Egyptian-style white faience tile facade. It was converted into a bingo hall in 1972 but has been vacant for 15 years, resulting in a cracked exterior, internal dampness and crumbling, and metal barriers serving as doors. Cambridge City Council rejected proposals in November from owner Mark Richer to demolish 21 Hobson Street and reconfigure two adjacent properties. A spokesperson for the council indicated that they had “consistently advised” the applicants to devise a plan that would preserve the building’s facade. Mr. Richer, who purchased the former Central Cinema in 2011, had intended to replace the structure with space for 300 office workers and a community area. His plan involved merging three buildings, including 16-17 and 17-18 Sidney Street, which house Itsu and Urban Outfitters, while retaining their existing shop-front facades. Council planners described the old cinema building as “iconic” and warned that its demolition could lead to “heritage harm.” The project garnered several objections, including one from Historic England, also citing heritage grounds. The Twentieth Century Society expressed its “strongly” held belief that a solution could be found to conserve the building, while the Cinema Theatre Association opposed the plans, arguing against the destruction of a “rare example of neo-Egyptian style” cinema architecture. Mr. Richer stated he was considering an appeal against the decision, but maintained that he had exhausted all possibilities for converting the property back into a cinema. “If somebody could shake a magic money tree and spend £5m or £6m turning this back into a usable shell for a cinema, a cinema would rent it.” He added, “But a cinema chain’s never going to spend that to get it into this state.” Mr. Richer’s proposal would have merged three buildings, preserving the fronts of Itsu and Urban Outfitters on Sidney Street, but simultaneously destroying the cinema facade. The cinema’s roof and original interior were lost in a fire in 1939, before it was internally remodelled by William Glenn, ABC’s in-house architect, and reopened in 1940. The building was converted to a bingo hall in 1972, at which point its interiors were substantially altered, including the addition of a new mezzanine and carpeting. Despite these changes, it retains some original elements, such as the staircases with their cast iron baluster rails. While the building holds sentimental value for many people, Mr. Richer expressed his desire to construct a facility that would generate employment and revenue for the local economy. “We never lose those memories,” he commented. He further stated, “The country can’t live on memories, those memories won’t pay the bills.” He insisted he had “tried many different ways” to preserve the facade but had “absolutely not managed to find something.” A spokesperson for Cambridge City Council remarked: “The development of the site need not involve the level of harm and extent of demolition proposed to the conservation area.” The spokesperson added, “We hope the applicants will work with the council to explore alternative options rather than appeal.”