Should Portishead have its own community cinema?

 

FILM fans are calling for Portishead's soon to be redundant library to be turned into a community cinema.

Local residents in the town are calling for the library in the High Street to be turned into a picture house when the new library at Horatio House opens later this year.

The idea has been put to community group Portishead Film, which currently screens monthly movies at Gordano School.

Members of the film club, which sometimes attracts more than 100 people to its screenings, are due to discuss the idea when they meet this week.

North Somerset Council secured Horatio House for the new, long awaited library after developers were unable to move forward with a £5 million flats and library development.

Council chiefs agreed to take over the lease of six units at Horatio House at a cost of £1.79 million and use four of the vacant ones for a new library.

The new library will be twice the size of the current one in the High Street and feature a small meeting room as well as a council information point.

The cost of securing the lease - which runs for 997 years - will be paid for by the authority borrowing the cash.

Some of the money - £38,000 - will come from 106 agreements as a result of developments in the town.

The council is also planning to spend a further £875,000 on fitting out the library and say, if all goes to plan, the facility will be open by Christmas.

Once the new library is open, the old building in the High Street  - which was once used as a cinema  - will become vacant.

North Somerset Council, which owns the building, has yet to decide what it is to do with the building.

Portishead Film spokesman, David Coombes, said: "Using the old library as a community cinema is an idea we are certainly interested in and we are discussing the issue this week.

"We would also be very interested in hearing from people within the community who have ideas on how any initiative could be taken forward.

"I think to make a cinema in the old library a viable idea, it would have to be used as a mixed use building rather than a cinema alone."

Portishead Film was set up three years ago by a group of local residents who wanted to be able to watch films at a venue in their home town rather than travelling to Bristol or Clevedon.

Mr Coombes added: "It has always been our belief that Portishead could benefit from its own community cinema."

The library used to be a cinema in the 1920s and 30s and when plans for a new library were finalised several years ago, there was talk about turning the building into an arts centre.

Anyone wanting to discuss ideas about using the old library as a community cinema should call Portishead Film on 07504 855167.

* Would you like Portishead to have its own community cinema? And is the old library the best place for it? What do you think? Have your say here!