News: New Rotherham cinema in the frame
The new cinema in Rotherham town centre has started to come into view at the £47m Forge Island development.
The town has gone nearly 35 years without a cinema. Cannon, the last town centre cinema, closed in 1990.
The new Arc Cinema is slated to open in 2024 with contractors, Bowmer & Kirkland making swift progress for Rotherham Council and its development partner, Muse Developments. Indeed working hours were extended to include more time for construction on Saturdays (except when there's a Rotherham United home game).
As shown in the image above, the platform for the development has been installed with the 340 space car park underneath and the new structure being built on top.
Plans were approved in 2020 for the scheme which will also include a new Travelodge hotel and six food and drink outlets, which are already fully let.
Positioned at the south of the former home of the Rotherham Forge & Rolling Mills, the design of the cinema looked to the strong industrial heritage of the site which was historically home to a foundry and an iron works. The cinema design incorporates a saw-tooth roof profile with a metal cap and a robust brick podium base.
Rothbiz reported in May that operators Arc are set to bring two flagship Hypersense screens, including Dolby Atmos sound, a giant screen and a 4K Laser projector – which creates a truly immersive experience. Additionally, it will also have six medium-sized screens that provide an intimate atmosphere for smaller showings – perfect for Arc's popular events like ‘Silver Screen’ and ‘Kids club’ which will be launching in Rotherham.
Advertisement
Also on the construction site, two eye-catching cranes have been named by children at Thornhill Primary School.
More than 70 pupils from the school in Masborough submitted names for the cranes, and a range of colourful pictures of their crane characters, to Forge Island site developers, Muse.
After a long and difficult deliberation, the two winning entries were "Rotherham Rainbow" by Redwanella, aged 7 and "Steely Crane" by Selda, aged 9.
The competition winners were invited down to the construction site for a hard hat tour with the project team and to see their winning names attached to the 37-metre and 25-metre-high cranes.
Raife Gale, Senior Development Manager at Muse, said: “We had so many wonderful entries that it was difficult to choose just two names, so thank you to all the pupils who took part. Our winning names really capture the essence of Forge Island, with Rotherham Rainbow representing a bright future for the town, and Steely Crane a nod to the site’s heritage as a steel forge.
“We’ve also decided to have a selection of the other pictures made into colourful hoardings around the site – a brilliant daily inspiration for the project team who are working hard to create something quite special here for families who live in and visit Rotherham. We plan to work with more local schools and community groups over the next year to bring them on the journey with us and build anticipation before the scheme opens to the public in 2024.”
Rotherham Council’s Cabinet Member for Children and Young People’s Services, Cllr Victoria Cusworth, said: “It is great to see the borough’s young people getting involved in this flagship scheme and it really underlines the fact that, once opened, Forge Island will be a family destination.
“Forge Island will be a space for residents of all ages to enjoy and socialise, while accessing some brilliant amenities and restaurants. Along with Riverside Gardens, it will provide a gateway to Rotherham’s riverside where residents will be able to enjoy urban wildlife and nature. Overall, it will be hugely beneficial to residents by promoting a strong economy, good mental and physical wellbeing, and strengthening our communities.”
Forge Island website
Images: Tom Austen / Muse
The town has gone nearly 35 years without a cinema. Cannon, the last town centre cinema, closed in 1990.
The new Arc Cinema is slated to open in 2024 with contractors, Bowmer & Kirkland making swift progress for Rotherham Council and its development partner, Muse Developments. Indeed working hours were extended to include more time for construction on Saturdays (except when there's a Rotherham United home game).
As shown in the image above, the platform for the development has been installed with the 340 space car park underneath and the new structure being built on top.
Plans were approved in 2020 for the scheme which will also include a new Travelodge hotel and six food and drink outlets, which are already fully let.
Positioned at the south of the former home of the Rotherham Forge & Rolling Mills, the design of the cinema looked to the strong industrial heritage of the site which was historically home to a foundry and an iron works. The cinema design incorporates a saw-tooth roof profile with a metal cap and a robust brick podium base.
Rothbiz reported in May that operators Arc are set to bring two flagship Hypersense screens, including Dolby Atmos sound, a giant screen and a 4K Laser projector – which creates a truly immersive experience. Additionally, it will also have six medium-sized screens that provide an intimate atmosphere for smaller showings – perfect for Arc's popular events like ‘Silver Screen’ and ‘Kids club’ which will be launching in Rotherham.
Advertisement
Also on the construction site, two eye-catching cranes have been named by children at Thornhill Primary School.
More than 70 pupils from the school in Masborough submitted names for the cranes, and a range of colourful pictures of their crane characters, to Forge Island site developers, Muse.
After a long and difficult deliberation, the two winning entries were "Rotherham Rainbow" by Redwanella, aged 7 and "Steely Crane" by Selda, aged 9.
The competition winners were invited down to the construction site for a hard hat tour with the project team and to see their winning names attached to the 37-metre and 25-metre-high cranes.
“We’ve also decided to have a selection of the other pictures made into colourful hoardings around the site – a brilliant daily inspiration for the project team who are working hard to create something quite special here for families who live in and visit Rotherham. We plan to work with more local schools and community groups over the next year to bring them on the journey with us and build anticipation before the scheme opens to the public in 2024.”
Rotherham Council’s Cabinet Member for Children and Young People’s Services, Cllr Victoria Cusworth, said: “It is great to see the borough’s young people getting involved in this flagship scheme and it really underlines the fact that, once opened, Forge Island will be a family destination.
“Forge Island will be a space for residents of all ages to enjoy and socialise, while accessing some brilliant amenities and restaurants. Along with Riverside Gardens, it will provide a gateway to Rotherham’s riverside where residents will be able to enjoy urban wildlife and nature. Overall, it will be hugely beneficial to residents by promoting a strong economy, good mental and physical wellbeing, and strengthening our communities.”
Forge Island website
Images: Tom Austen / Muse
28 comments:
I actually didn't realise that parking was underneath,least not wasting land with surface parking.
So where did you imagine they were going to put parking spaces for 340 cars on an area the size of Forge Island?
Still too close to the town centre to even consider using it.
Will need a perimeter fence to keep undesirable's out.I just know with this been Rotherham,there'll be some PC gimmick,like local asylum seekers go free certain times of week ,and restaurants can only serve halalalla meet😂
Makes sense parking being underneath as it needs to be built higher incase of flooding.
I'm surprised that the moderators continue to allow you to post racist comments. Perhaps the perimeter fence should be round your garden.
Oooh Didums,not wacist....Reality!
Do you not have a spell or grammar check on your device? Or are you one of the uneducated group who consider themselves superior?
Spot on Jez
No doubt cinema goers will be thankful for that when they return to their flooded vehicles
They'll have been pinched before the floods get them.
Is car theft an issue in the town centre? I've not seen any reports of this in the local press.
It's definitely an issue in Rotherham in general. When you have people taking pics of your cars on your drive then there's definitely an issue. Maybe you shouldn't be so much of a sheep and rely on the local press so much.
Do sheep rely on the local press? If so they risk having the wool pulled over their eyes I suppose. So how do you find out what is going off locally? Do you rely on anecdotal evidence from your mates in the pub? Or do you infer that there is a lot of car theft by counting the number of people who stop to take photographs of cars in your drive? Sounds like a job for Neighbourhood Watch. Please keep us informed of the number of photographers you spot through your curtains.
Sorry I should bow down to your better knowledge.Jack know it all but does nothing about it. Pathetic!
All you need to do to convince readers you are correct is to let us know where you get your information about the extent of car theft in Rotherham. Oh, and it would be good to know what YOU "are doing about it"
It does seem a bit daft to argue that car theft in Rotherham is rife just because someone takes a photo of your drive.
'My mates in the pub', so very patronising. And I've done my bit, far beyond the simplistic idiocy you post on here.
Is it necessary to make an insulting comment about sheep just because someone asks a perfectly reasonable question?
Don't you get sarcasmmmmm,?The mind I'd the leftie,don't like way debate goes,so involve the Gwamma police😂
Why do you get so angry and rude? If you can't stand people disagreeing with you don't post your views.
They are making rapid process with the cinema. It will be great to have one back in the town centre and a real cause for celebration.
The question is how long it will last The council have said That GDP will go down in the town
Nothing like a bit of optimism to start the day!
I forgot to add that £5.75m of the budget is being brought forward (often these things slip backward) "due to the scheme progressing well & development on site getting into the main construction as well as completion of the enabling works."
The skyline is certainly changing rapidly. Nice to see for those of us who aren't afraid to venture into the town centre for fear of being upset by low lifes or having our cars pinched
I was once punch in the face for not giving a youth some change coming out of the bus station. You stay classy Rotherham Town Centre!
Are you sure it wasn't the bus driver chasing you for the fare?
Post a Comment