Call to clarify future of Telford cinema site
Campaigners hoping to save a former Telford cinema today called for its owners to clarify their plans.
The Clifton Group wants the owners of the Clifton Cinema in Wellington, Telford, for information on its current status.
They say that six months after the site was sold by Dunelm, it remains unknown what will happen to the building.
Spokeswoman Fiona Hunter said: "Until we know who owns the site and what they plan to do with it, our project is in limbo.
"We have made a commitment to do everything we can to secure this site for the community, and we will keep working towards a successful outcome. We have been patient, but this prolonged uncertainty is unfair to our supporters and unfair to the town, which finds itself looking at a big, empty, decaying building with no sign of action."
Contracts were reportedly exchanged on the building last July.
But according to the Land Registry the site is still owed by Dunelm, so it is not known whether a sale has indeed been agreed. The group has tried to make contact with the owner, but say they have not received a response
Members of the Clifton Project had been selling shares in the building in a bid to buy it and had raised £31,000. The group is continuing to talk to Telford & Wrekin Council and to other bodies about options for acquiring the site, unlocking other potential funding sources.
But they say that while the current uncertainty continues, the sale of shares has been halted and those conversations with national agencies can only go so far.
"We have thousands of signatures from supporters who wish us to realise the vision having signed a petition delivered to Telford & Wrekin during the summer," said Mrs Hunter.
"If a new owner has plans of their own, it is only fair that we know and can decide what we do next."
