The great news is that after advertising the site as a leisure investment at least 2 cinema companies have put a bid in for the former Ritz Building on Northampton Road. Even better, the news is that one of them put in a fair and realistic bid. That is, the full market rate for the land. This is the first time in 3 decades that the town has been able to claim that a serious cinema group has actually bid at full price for the land and has made a commitment backed by cash. The company has drawn up full plans for a 6 seater digital cinema.

But as always, things are not so simple. The current owners are still pursing their plans to build retirement flats on the land. Because this is the most profitable type on development, they still hope to make more money out of this than by selling to the cinema group. Now as they don’t live in the town, you can hardly blame them for this. However if you do live in the town you may have different views.

If you think that the land would be better used by the cinema group that is proposing a mixed use on the site that includes retail, housing and a cinema then this is the time to say something. The alternative is that the building will be demolished and used for retirement flats and retail.

You may feel that the town would benefit from a cinema on the site. Personally I have not spoken to a single person in the town who would prefer flats to a cinema but unless the council receive objections, this is exactly what will happen.

There is a very short time in which to object, but just a few paragraphs raising your objection to the scheme is all it takes.

Quote reference: 07/01751/FUL & 07/01749/CON and write to:

Planning Department

Harborough District Council

Adam & Eve Street

LE16 7AG

If people make it clear that they do not like the plans to use this former cinema site for flats, but would like the use of the land returned to being a cinema then it will become unlikely that the current plan will go ahead. Without objections however, the scheme looks likely to succeed.

As a campaign we have done everything that we can. We’ve persuaded the owners to put the site up for sale, we found a cinema chain who wants to buy and put up a fair price for the land. Now it’s out of our hands. Let the council know directly what you would like on the land and what you think of the proposed scheme.

News Release from December 11th at 2pm

Harborough Cinema campaigners were delighted to hear that at least two cinema chains have made a bid for the former Kwik-Save /Ritz Cinema site on Northampton Road.  The derelict building was scheduled for demolition and earmarked for flats before the campaign began in September 2007. The site’s current owners advertised the building for sale as a ‘leisure opportunity’ towards the end of October.  Members of the campaign have been speaking to cinema groups and property developers in order to bring a cinema back to the town centre. When the deadline passed for submissions on Friday, it emerged that at least two cinema groups had put a bid in for the site.

The more ambitious of the two was ‘The Light’ cinema group who are planning the launch of up to ten state of the art digital cinemas around the UK. Their bid was ‘above guide price’ submission for the land, with their plans including a 5 screen cinema on the site as well as retail space, restaurants and housing.

MD for the The Light Group, John Sullivan says “I am very excited about bringing cinema back to Market Harborough – the town would be a prime site for such a facility.”  Current owners Alislane are expected to review all submissions shortly and to announce the winning bid before Christmas.

When the deadline closed on Friday 7th December at 5pm the good news is that at least 2 cinema companies have put in a serious bid to buy the land on Northampton Road with a view to turn in back into a cinema.

The sites current owners advetised the site as a leisure oppertunity in a national campaign as a result of the Harborough Cinema campaign.  At least 2 cinema chains put in a bid. One bid by ‘The Light’ has put in an ambitious scheme involving retail, housing and a 5 screen digital cinema complex.  MD of The Light John Sullivan said “We are very excited about our proposal and we are very much looking forward to bringing cinema back to Market Habrorough’s town centre.

The bids have been put forward to the sites curent owners and a decision is expected as soon as this Wednesday (December 12th).

The news of the bids was greeted with delight at the Cinema Task Force meeting held at the council’s offices on monday evening.  The ambitious plans were passed around the meeting and were judged at this early stage to be both practical and exciting.  They would be a real boost to the town centre was the general opinion.

The scheme now has 2 stages to go.  The current owners will have to accept the bid and the council will have to approve the plans.  The first area will be decided this week.  Assuming that the bid is accepted, the second will take a while longer, but the first impression of the planning officer present at the meeting was the plans seemed well thought out and fell within the guidlines for the town.  

Other developers may have bid on the site so the town awits until Wednesday to hear whether we will have a cinema once more.

It now looks very likely that the former Ritz Cinema in Northampton Road is going to be demolished unless a bid comes through by this Friday.  Despite 8,000 signatures and the overwhelming support of the town and villages, the campaign to have a cinema in Harborough looks like it may come to nothing. Despite research that proves a cinema is viable in the town, despite countless other success stories of cinemas thriving in town centreres it looks as though we are going to be treated to more flats in this prime town centre site. What a wasted opportunity and what a shame for the town.  There was, for a while, there was a real chance that Harborough was going have a picture house and leisure amenity.  It would be somewhere at the very heart of the town for teenagers, families and indeed everybody to visit.  It would bring people into the town and be good for the economy of the High Street, but now unless something happens in the next few days it looks as though this possibility is gone for good. 

The good news is that all is not lost.  Because of the campaign started by Lucy and Mollie a new cinema will be coming to the town by the end of the year – something would never have happened without the campaign.  In just a few weeks we will be a 120 seat cinema located conveniently by the leisure centre.  This ‘temporary’ cinema could remain open for years to come – as long as the town uses it.  Perhaps it will remain open until a permanently housed commercial cinema is open again in Harborough.   

Indeed if our new temporary cinema is well supported perhaps it will lead to a cinema operator realising that 60,000 plus people is more than enough of a base to support a thriving cinema. By then it may be too late to save this site as it falls into the hands of people who don’t care about the town, but that decision is now out of the hands of the people and in the hands of property developers and planners.   

Let’s hope that sombody comes forward before this Friday with the imagination and the vision that the town needs.