Plans for new multi-screen Dumfries cinema being taken forward

Plans for a new multi-screen cinema in Dumfries are being taken forward.

The council is looking for a firm to investigate potential site options for the proposal after a feasibility study found Dumfries is “well placed to support a cinema development in the town centre”.

The town has been without a multi-screen cinema since the Odeon closed in 2018.

There is a council-run facility at the Robert Burns Centre with the Big Burns Supper team screening movies in the Loreburn Hall.

This week, the council published a tender “to commission consultant support for Dumfries cinema options and market testing”.

The document, which puts the cost of the contract at around £75,000, adds: “This tender process is for participation in the contract for consultancy support to deliver for the council a robust analysis of the market interest and potential for a developable opportunity to deliver a multi-screen cinema in Dumfries town centre.”

Last year, Entertainment Solution Services Ltd (ESS), in collaboration with AD Studio and RLF, were commissioned to carry out the study and report back on whether it was a commercially viable option for Dumfries town centre.

The experts believed the idea could come to fruition – as long as there were other business uses in the building to ensure ongoing profit.

Their report stated: “An indicative cinema layout design was produced alongside a high-level capital construction and fit out cost estimate. These give a sense of scale and perspective to inform the next steps.

“Industry analysis demonstrates that Dumfries is well placed to support a cinema development in the town centre. ESS recommends a community-focused, and event driven cinema, which could fulfil the current gap in cinema provision.”