A developer's plan for a former Wetherspoon's pub and hidden cinema has been described as a "bleak, prison-like warehouse for people" that could further fuel gentrification in the area.
Last week developers Landrose, which bought St George's Hall in Redfield from Wetherspoon's several months ago, submitted a planning application to build 44 bedsits in the building. Local residents who have been campaigning for the Church Road building to be put into community use and for the hidden cinema to be restored are hoping that the council will reject the application.
The group of residents, whose proposals for the historic building gained cross party support from local councillors and whose petition gathered over 9,000 signatures, believe there is still a chance to stop the development from going ahead. So far 28 objections have been raised on the council’s planning portal, despite the hurdle of ongoing maintenance issues over the last week that have made it more difficult for members of the public to submit comments.
READ MORE: Wetherspoon pub and former cinema could be turned into 44 bedsits
Landrose has disputed claims by residents that creating a HMO on the high street will cause parking problems in the area. The developer said that their tenants do not drive and the property will have "abundant bicycle storage". They also claim that the cinema is derelict and will be expensive to restore, and that that the front of the building will be retained as a community space.
The developer says it has been in contact with "a representative" from the campaign group and is exploring options in regards to local charities who could use the space. But the members from Save the Redfield Cinema campaign, who spoke to Bristol Live, dispute the claim that the developer is engaging with the community. They say the developer has proposed demolishing the 1912 cinema and replacing it with a 20-seat cinema at the front of the building, which they fear that unlike their "pay what you can" proposals, will be expensive and "add to the gentrification" of the area.
Landrose says it has strong links with Bristol's community and local government planning teams and councils, and told Bristol Live that its focus on co-living pods is a cost-effective way to house key workers who can't afford to rent a studio flat. Easton Green councillor Barry Parsons has disputed the claim that the housing is affordable and said that the area needs social housing available to families who are currently on the council's waiting list.
Cllr Parsons does not see the plans which he describes as "cramped one-person bedsits" as a solution to the housing crisis and is encouraging local residents to object to the planning proposals. The developers are exempt from providing affordable housing but said they "care about the wellbeing" of tenants and the community.
Cllr Parsons said: "I am utterly opposed to this application. The developer seeks to create a giant HMO, a bleak warehouse for people. The proposed design is a prison-like edifice that would blight Church Road and the surrounding area for years to come.
"It’s true that Bristol has a housing crisis, but cramped one-person bedsits with no provision for family or community life are not the answer. What we need in Redfield are family homes and community facilities.
"The developer has made no meaningful attempt to engage with local residents, which is especially sad because there is an exciting, credible, community-led plan to restore the cinema as a hub for East Bristol. I will be calling in the application for consideration by a planning committee, and I encourage everyone to submit objections and make your voices heard."
Brendon Tatewistreich, local dad and one of the co-founders of the 'Save the Redfield cinema' campaign, is confident the community can still save the building. Brendon said: “Going back a few years, I met with a few residents who were also interested in the building here being open and available to the public, we knew about the auditorium in the back, the art deco cinema and we thought it was a crime that we couldn’t use it.
“We are all supportive of housing, we just don’t think it should be here given the opportunity this building offers as a cultural space and once lost it would be impossible to replace. There’s other opportunities for housing, as we saw they developed the car park for housing at St George Park.
“I do feel quite hopeful to be honest but it’s going to be a long-haul. Instead of what could have been a straight run, now we have to win a battle against the developer. It’s David against Golliath but if you look at the support for this campaign, we are many people, that gives me confidence.
“The developer isn’t from our neighbourhood and doesn’t necessarily have the interests of local people at heart. It’s a business proposition for them whereas we have a really strong, committed group of people who want to see this building saved and that gives us hope,” added Brendon.
Rachael Groom, a local mother who joined the campaign in September after learning about it on Facebook, felt passionate about the need to have a venue on her local high street that would benefit the local community rather than “add to the gentrification”.
Rachael said: “I saw it on Facebook and I couldn’t believe a cinema had been hidden above Wetherspoon's all that time. The idea of having a venue that provided a community space on Church road like that was just too exciting to not be involved.
“Although there are a few of us involved, a lot of us have got young kids and there’s so much that needs to be done. Ultimately it needs attention and it needs driving and it’s frustrating because we are juggling.
"Originally we were looking at a community purchase of the building. Asset of community value [status] gives you the opportunity to buy.
“When we got granted it we thought we would have the opportunity to buy it but then we found out that two weeks before they’d done a deal and sold it to Landrose.
“We [had] put a proposal together which was based on us buying it for a reasonable price. We costed it, it was a viable business plan and we had social impact investors interested.
'Packed in like sardines'
“It was something that could have been possible, had we been in a position to buy it from Wetherspoon's. Now the position we’re in is that Landrose owns it, they don’t want to sell it to us and even if they did, they would sell it at a grossly inflated price.
“Someone needs to come out and save the day with millions of pounds, that’s the only way we could buy it off them. They’ve put forward a plan for quite a gross development. It’s just going to be people packed in like a tin of sardines.
“They have to do something on the high street, that high street is particularly dead. It makes their planning application look good to say they are reaching out to the community."
She said the plans 'gloss over' the loss of the historic cinema and "mentions it as a storage room". On the housing, she added: "If you’re doing something for the community rather than just adding to gentrification then you would propose affordable housing."
The group are working on getting the community value status re-approved, and are planning a public meeting in April at Easton Community Centre. They hope to launch a fundraising campaign, not only to save the 110-year-old cinema but to ensure the building can be used to benefit the local community.
Landrose's response
Victoria Tiley, Landrose's diversity officer, challenged the idea that the old cinema can be saved. Landrose highlight the fact that it hasn't been used in 60 years and would not be cost effective to renovate.
Ms Tiley said: “The petition organisers are conning local people with some romantic idea of bringing back a part derelict cinema that hasn’t even been used since the sixties and isn’t even intact. There’s already an abundance of community space in the area but not enough housing.
“Historic England are certainly not interested in the site, in a recent letter they said that the remains of the cinema lack the glamour and elaboration normally associated with interwar cinemas and also lacks the exuberant detailing found in the better purpose built cinema buildings of this period. They’ve confirmed they would not list the building.”
Bristol radio presenters Primrose Granville and Patrick Hart are among those to publicly speak out in favour of the plans. Landrose has been a proud sponsor of the Bristol Diversity Awards, which launched as part of BCfm Radio's tenth anniversary celebrations.
Primrose Granville said: "I owe my life to our key workers and NHS staff who gave me a transplant and looked after me, it’s innovative affordable ideas like these co-living pods that house those very workers, many of whom are local and from Global majority backgrounds.
“We need to embrace local developers who want to help our city by providing homes for us to live in, not more endless cash consuming pie in the sky projects that waste our time and resources when there are already so many amazing community spaces in the area."
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