A Lichfield councillor says he is “delighted” to see progress with the cinema project – but has questioned why the scheme has taken so long to come to fruition.
Members of the local authority voted to approve a new buyout clause for the new multi-screen facility in the former Debenhams building.
It will mean that once the cinema opens, the council will buy the 50% share from the owners of the Three Spires shopping centre, Evolve Estates, for a pre-agreed price expected to be between £3.5million and £3.9million.
The figure is on top of the £5.7million the local authority contributed to the creation of the joint venture.
Cllr Paul Ray, leader of the Liberal Democrat group, said:
“We are delighted to see progress with the cinema project and to have voted for this to go ahead.
“But it is so disappointing that is has taken the Conservatives so long to get to this position.
“The reality is that this progress has at last come about for two reasons. Firstly, the Lib Dem councillors have long said ‘it’s time for action not words’ with the stalled projects in Lichfield and they have been campaigning ongoing for action with the Debenhams building and have come up with various solutions.
“Secondly, the Conservatives took a drubbing in the local elections last May and now we have a council that is listening to residents and moving the key projects forward.
“That is very good to see and now we want to see real momentum with the cinema and the other projects in Lichfield – in particular the Friarsgate site.”
Cllr Paul Ray, Lichfield District Council
The buyout clause has previously been described as the final hurdle in bringing a new cinema to Lichfield.
Cllr Ray told a meeting of the council this week that action had only come about on city centre redevelopment in the wake of the local elections where residents had spoken and delivered more opposition councillors.
But Cllr Doug Pullen, leader of Lichfield District Council, accused his Lib Dem counterpart of trying to score a “cheap political point”.
“I have sat in this chamber for ten years and have never heard such a load of nonsense.
“It was nothing to do with people’s voice – it came from hard work officers have been doing with operators in the real world for a long time.
“They are doing things that are incredibly complex. Yes, they take longer than we’d like and I’ll be the first to admit I regularly throw my toys out of the pram about how long things take, but that’s the reality of what we are trying to deliver.
“We are finally on the cusp of delivering something our residents have been crying out for over a number of years yet the only comment you make is a cheap political point.” Personally I’m disappointed.”
Cllr Doug Pullen, Lichfield District Council
