Five years ago, North Kesteven District Council rolled the red carpet out for £4 million plans to introduce a cinema in the market town of Sleaford — something which residents have been desiring for years — but, in 2024, people are still waiting for the curtain to rise.
In July 2019, North Kesteven District Councillors unanimously backed a £4 million investment to bring a new multi-screen cinema to Sleaford, speaking about how it would “re-energise” the town and benefit the wider local economy. The 300-seat cinema, which would be situated in the heart of the town, was just one part of a regeneration program that was due to take part in the area.
This included the construction of a footbridge over the River Slea to connect Money’s Yard to the Market Place, as well as a public open space. As the final details were being prepared, the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic struck and, in March 2020, the nation was sent into lockdown.
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This, and the financial implications that came with it, are to blame for the failure to deliver this cinema project — so says the district council, but all hope for future development may not be lost. Council leader Richard Wright said: “The realisation of a cinema remains a key objective within both the Sleaford Masterplan and the Council’s investment aspirations.”
He went on to express his ‘regret’ at the project not happening as yet, but offered reassurances to residents that it is still firmly on the council’s agenda — just in a different form to what was initially presented.
“Given the volume and nature of many public comments regretting — as I do — that it has not happened yet, but still calling for a cinema to be a part of that vision, I am reassured that we continue to be doing the right thing by exploring opportunities to bring one to fruition.”
The frustration is evident among residents of Sleaford, a town which has been starved of big screen cinema options since the conversion of Flicks on Southgate to a nightclub, way back in the year 2000. In the 20th century, the site was a very popular cinema for the town, from opening as The Picturedome in 1920 to its main screen closure in 1984, with the smaller screen continuing as a ‘mini-cinema’ until Flicks became a nightclub at the turn of the millennium.
Sleaford town councillor Dave Darmon said it was “disappointing” that the town had not yet managed to get a cinema, despite assurances by the district council. He argued the case for maintaining income within Sleaford with a cinema of its own, rather than having residents travel out of town to somewhere like Lincoln, Woodhall Spa or even Mablethorpe to catch the latest blockbuster.
“It would be great to keep that income in Sleaford and would also be better for the environment if people don’t have to drive out of town to watch a film. Maybe a subsidy could be offered for a year or two to attract a cinema operator to operate in Sleaford?”
North Kesteven District Council says it is evaluating options and hopes to advance a few visions for the Heart of Sleaford developments “during the current financial year.” Many were asking why the £3.2 million of government funding granted to the council earlier this year did not go towards a fresh cinema proposal, and the council says that while this possibility was “explored”, it would in fact prove impossible to spend the money by the deadline of March 2025.
Councillor Wright added: “Even if timings weren’t an issue, the nature of the funding meant that very little of it could have been spent on an actual building in this case, but as I say our enthusiasm to bring a solution forward is unchanged.”
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