Proposed new cinema for Scarborough, England

posted by Ian on December 31, 2007 at 7:44 am

Proposed multiplex for Scarborough.

Plans have been put forward for the Hippodrome Centre, a new entertainment and retail centre on the current car park in North Street, Scarborough, North Yorkshire. It will occupy four floors plus a basement car park for 109 vehicles.

There are plans for 6 cinema auditoria on the 1st and 2nd floors, seating:–

1)and 6) 34 premium, 152 standard and 3 disabled (total 189 patrons)
2) 65 premium, 271 standard and 4 disabled (total 340 patrons)
3) 4) & 5) 28 premium, 75 standard and 3 disabled (total 106 patrons)

This gives 1,036 seats, over a floor area of 1,554 m2, plus a 302 m2 projection suite. The intention is to provide a facility well above average in terms of style and comfort.

Other parts of the proposed development include a bowling alley (1,820 m2) on the ground floor, entertainment, retail and restaurant space (2,021 m2) on the ground and first floor and office space (2,552 m2) on the 2nd and 3rd floors. It will be built, if planning permission is granted, by the owners of the Opera House Casino (which replaced the Opera House Theatre at the start of this century) and recalls the original name of the Opera House. The development is estimated at costing 25million.

If the development goes ahead, then it will almost certainly mean the end of films in the Hollywood Plaza Cinema and Futurist Theatre, although the McCarthy Cinema, in the Stephen Joseph Theatre complex could well survive in an art-house role. There is also a lately stated intention to provide a multiplex cinema in The Sands, Phase 1 of this vast development is already under construction in the North Bay, however the cinemas are not part of this phase and detailed plans have yet to be presented. There is no way that the town could support two such ventures and popular opinion, and stated planning guidelines, favour a town centre cinema. One that has good transport links in this seaside resort with a high proportion of elderly residents with public transport requirements.

An image of the intended building can be found here.

[note : the Opera House, Futurist, Hollywood Plaza & Stephen Joseph
all have entries on Cinema Treasures].