News: Listed building hope to save former Rotherham cinema

An art deco former cinema in Rotherham that is under the threat of demolition could be saved by a successful campaign to have the building listed.

The Mecca Bingo on Corporation Street in Rotherham town centre was closed earlier this year. It originally opened in December 1934 as the Regal Cinema.

Rothbiz reported in June that an application had been submitted to knock the building down and in its place, erect a residential building consisting of 45 dwellings and three ground floor commercial units.

At the time of the application the building was not listed and planning documents from Sunshine Homes Ltd explained that: "The initial intention was to explore options for a residential conversion of the existing building, however having assessed these options in detail it was clear that a conversion was simply not a viable proposal. As such it was concluded that the only real option was for a new build approach."

Now a campaign group says that the Rotherham building will be protected by Grade II listed building status.

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The Cinema Theatre Association, which campaigns nationally to protect traditional cinema buildings, said: "The Regal Rotherham has been Listed Grade II by Historic England, following a campaign to prevent demolition, reports the Cinema Theatre Association's architectural caseworker today. This 1934 cinema has a prominent position in the town. It was designed by Hull architects Blackmore & Sykes for Lou Morris. It later passed through several operators, becoming the Scala before going onto bingo as Ritz/Mecca, closing due to the pandemic restrictions."

Historic England has not yet updated its list and maps but Rotherham Council's mapping system shows the building now has Grade II listed status as a "Building of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. Former Regal Cinema."

Any planning application would need to show very special circumstances in order to demolish a listed building.

Even before the listing, Historic England had objected to plans to demolish the building and replace it with new build flats due to its location adjacent to the Rotherham Town Centre Conservation Area.

Suzanne Lilley, Inspector of Historic Buildings and Areas, said: "It is Historic England’s view that the current approach is not appropriate, and we have serious concerns regarding this application on heritage grounds.

"The demolition of the former Regal cinema would completely erode any contribution the application site makes to the special interest of the conservation area. We are not of the view that sufficient public benefits arising from the proposal have been demonstrated that would outweigh this harm.

"We strongly encourage the retention and reuse of the former Regal cinema, thereby putting historic places at the heart of the approach to redevelopment in Rotherham town centre."

The stand out features of the building are its principal façade which comprises a three-bay central section in a restrained design enlivened by the use of pilasters, cornices and elaborate glazing bars. Inside there is a relatively high level of survival with key elements of the historic decorative scheme to the foyer and auditorium remaining intact.

The building was due to go up for auction in October with a guide price of £390,000. The freehold of the 25,833 sq ft building was described as having "potential for commercial / institutional / religious use and residential development subject to planning."

The lot was withdrawn before going to auction.

The property did sell at auction in 2019 for £575,000.

Images: Network Auctions