THE Liberal Democrats say residents will feel "let down and betrayed" after it emerged an extra £5.5million is needed for a new cinema development.
Lichfield District Council says the money is needed to complete the redevelopment of the former Debenhams store and allow it to take full control of the site once it is completed.
Work is underway on changing the unit in the Three Spires Shopping Centre into a four-screen Everyman cinema. When completed, it will also feature a number of food and drink outlets, including The Botanist.
But Cllr Paul Ray, leader of the Liberal Democrat opposition group at the council, said that balancing the need to finish the scheme with the rising costs would be difficult.
"We do not wish to hinder the future development of this project, but at the same time, we find it impossible to place on record our support for the way it has been managed so far.
"I want to emphasise that there has been a huge failure of competence by the Conservatives in the management of the project to date.
"Residents, who have been promised a cinema for so long, now rightly feel let down and betrayed by this complex tangle of missteps and missing information.
"The project needs a more robust governance structure in the future – and a thorough investigation is needed to clarify and explain what has gone wrong.
"To that end, we will be seeking closer scrutiny and better governance as the project moves forward, with the aim of meeting deadlines and containing costs."
The council said the increased costs reflected "market conditions, design development and the complexity of transforming the former department store into a modern leisure destination".
Cllr Hugh Ashton, Lib Dem representative for Stowe ward, was among those members of the council to visit the cinema development in recent weeks.
He said greater clarity was required for residents to understand how the project has reached a point where another £5.5million was needed.
He added:
"It will no doubt be pointed out by some that cost overruns and delays are almost inevitable in a project of this scale, but not to the size we are looking at here – and for reasons which are still unclear, many of these changes and cost increases were not made clear to the group supposed to be overseeing the project, much less to councillors and the public.
"We need to identify such lapses in governance and take steps to avoid any such future failures in scrutiny. We cannot afford to let things go on chaotically as they have in the past.
"Even so, despite a series of failures by those who should have been responsible to contain costs and timings, we believe that the completed cinema complex will be good for Lichfield as a whole, and we support the continuation of the development.
"The ‘halo effect’ should bring more visitors into the city, and maintain Lichfield city centre as a busy thriving business community."
Cllr Doug Pullen, Conservative leader of Lichfield District Council, said the authority had always been committed to transparency on the cinema project.
He said:
"The redevelopment of the former Debenhams building is one of the most significant regeneration projects our district has undertaken and it is now well advanced.
"As with projects of this scale and complexity, additional costs have arisen during construction. Councillors are therefore being asked to consider proposals that would enable the redevelopment to be completed and allow the council to secure full ownership of the completed asset.
"We have always said we would be open about this project. These proposals will now be considered by councillors before a final decision is made by full council."
