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.

What the Ritz Cinema in Nothampton Road will look like unless somthing is done  

 The current owners of the former Ritz Cinema in Nothampton Road have applied again for planning permission to demolish the cinema and replace it with flats and retail space.

There have been a number of parties interested in buying the site, but nobody has put in a formal bid.  If you are interested in making a bid for the cinema you have until December the 7th at the latest to contact the sites vendors and claim a bid pack.

If you know of anybody who is interested in saving this building and running a successful cinema (and it has been proven that a 4 screen cinema is viable in the town if the site was used as a mixture or resteraunts, leisure and cinema) then please ask them to contact:

Emma from Intali on 01858 469 123 or e-mail info@intali.com or visit www.intali .com to recive a bid pack.

This will not affect the tempory cinema that will be opening in the town next month, but the overall aim of the campaign is to have a full time perminat cinema at the heart of the town.  If you know of sombody who has the money and vision to breath life into this old building again, and make themselves plenty of money in the longer term then this is the time to contact them.

Otherwise we will have yet more flats and retail units in a town that is crying out for more leisure facilities – such as a cinema.

As you may have read in this weeks Harborough Mail, we are looking for a name or a nickname for the new cinema.  The winning entry will win 10 tickest to use as you wish plus a special invitation to the previw VIP event when the cinema open just before Christmas.

Send your entries to the Harborugh Mail or e-mail cinema@idealmarketingcompany.com

The winner will be announced before the end November.

We are also looking for staff who once worked at the old Ritz cinema in the town.  If you worked there or know of sombody who worked there, please get in touch.  Just e-mail cinema@idealmarketingcompany.com along with your phone number.  

You may have heard or read that Harborough is now getting a 120 cinema. It looks likely that this will happen before Christmas but there are many things that we have still to confirm such as – where will tickets be on sale from, what date will it open, what will be the first films shown and what will the name of the cinema be?

For example will Startdust be playing at the cinema?

The answer to all of these questions will be available here on the blog where we will update you on anything and everything to do with the cinema.

What’s more, you will be able to see full details including times of screenings once they become available. www.harboroughcinem.com will be the site to get all the news on what’s happening at the cinema – so keep coming back here to get the latest on what’s happening.