News: Late night licence bid for new Rotherham venue

The restoration of a former theatre and cinema in Rotherham town centre has reached another milestone with operators hoping to host events until 4am.

Rothbiz reported earlier this year on the former cinema known as the Essoldo building on Ship Hill / High Street that was built in 1913 as the Empire Theatre. It has since operated as a cinema, snooker hall and nightclub.

A new community interest company (CIC) has been created centred around using the restored building as a multi-purpose community arts venue, pointing out that Rotherham has a lack of venues and no dedicated live music venue.

With Branch Developments Ltd and Mark McGrail of SME Environmental Services highlighting the progress of the works on social media, a 2025 opening is a real prospect.

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SME Environmental Holdings Limited has now applied for a premises licence for The Empire Theatre.

The application indicates that the two floors could be used for performances of live music, plays, dance or any entertainment of a similar description. The licence would also cover an indoor sporting event or an exhibition of a film.

As part of the licence, the provision of late night refreshment and the sale by retail of alcohol, is also included.

If approved, opening hours would be 12:00 to 04:30 with licenced activities, including the sale by retail of alcohol for consumption on the premises only, taking place until 4am.

It is thought that the new Empire will have a capacity of 800 - 400 on each floor.

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This cinema building was designed by architects Chadwick and Watson, opening in 1913 under the name of the Empire Theatre. By 1929 it had become part of the ABC cinema chain and subsequently became part of the Essoldo chain in 1954. It became the Classic Cinema in 1972 and subsequently a Cannon Cinema in 1988 before closing in 1990 to become a nightclub and snooker club.

The last part of the building in operation was The Amber Lounge, a contemporary cocktail / champagne bar. It went by many names as a nightclub including New York, New York, Beach, Blu Bambu, Synergy, Pop and Hub.

Restoration work has included uncovering the first cantilever beams (designed by a local architect) that created the impressive "Gods" - the building's uppermost balcony.

Having looked at the same building, Rotherham Council has switched its focus to the Alma Tavern, which the authority owns, as a potential live music venue, backed by £4.5m of government funding. Feasability issues have arisen but the Council says that it is committed to working with Chantry Brewery on the project.

Also in the town centre, work is underway on a £450,000 contract to secure an art deco former cinema on Corporation Street until a new use can be found. Rotherham Council acquired the former Regal Cinema and Mecca Bingo, a listed building, in 2022. A viable scheme for its re-use has yet to be confirmed.

Rotherham Empire on Facebook

Images: Steel City Drone Pilot / Google Maps

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News: Council continues to collaborate with Chantry to help Save The Alma

Rotherham Council says that it is committed to working with the private sector to help keep a project going that would create a live music venue in Rotherham town centre and help save a historic building.

Rothbiz revealed last month that feasibility issues have arisen with converting the former Alma Tavern into a venue.

With £4.5m of the government's Town Deal funding set aside for a music venue project, the Westgate site is the third building looked at by the authority.

The building is not a listed building (unlike The Cutler's Arms next door, saved and reopened by Chantry Brewery) but is in severe disrepair following a fire and years of abandonment. Councillors were told that an updated cost plan for the project demonstrated "a cost significantly in excess of the funding available."

The issue was recently discussed as the council's cabinet agreed to approve the reallocation of funding from the music venue project to progress plans for a community hub for health provision in the former Boots building in the town centre. The funding would cover estimated costs of £1.7m.

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Simon Moss, Assistant Director, Planning, Regeneration and Transport at Rotherham Council, explained to councillors: "We think a music venue would be beneficial but it has been problematic. We've looked at a number of buildings since the funding came forward a few years ago and there are challenges with bringing back old buildings into use.

"It has been through a few iterations and has been challenging but we still believe it is a valuable thing to push for in the town centre.

"We are looking at The Alma, which is next to The Cutler's, and there is already a music operation there - relatively small, but successful. We are planning to build some housing around that site, so dealing with that issue is something that we think is worthwhile as well, trying to work with the current operator to protect the continuation of music at that venue.

"The proposal is to downsize some of the proposals at that site. When we've worked through the design process, we don't think it is affordable, so we are looking at still keeping some funding allocated to that project but more around remediating the site, protecting what's there, but actually looking at what we can do to bring forward a music venue through other delivery means."

It is expected that support from the private sector is required if the project is to be realised. The initial ideas involved an L-shaped new building on land behind, and to the side of The Alma, creating a venue with a capacity of 500 - 600 and the main entrance in the vacant pub,

Moss added: "There are challenges that the public sector faces in delivering end-to-end regeneration solutions - we need that confidence and consideration of risk with funds. And the private sector, of course, can sometimes play a different type of role in bringing things forward."

In 2023 Rotherham Council acquired all land and properties owned by Satnam Urban Regeneration Ltd in the Sheffield Road area which included the 200 space Westgate Car Park and the two pubs.

Lorna Vertigan, head of regeneration at RiDO, said: "It's a complex building [The Alma}. It's not in a good condition and what we are trying to bring is also quite a complex build in terms of its power supply and its M&E [mechanical and electrical] requirements etc. and we were just finding that costs at each stage of development were going up and up and up and it just felt like it had come to a point really where "the public sector can't do this on their own" they need private interventions and that is something that we are going to need more and more over time. The nature of the provision also leans it more towards the private sector.

"It is really important to point out that we are still really committed to it [a live music venue] and really do want to support something. They are our buildings so if nothing else, we have got a duty to do something in there. In the next phase, we will still have money allocated to it and we are looking at what remedial works we can bring forward to help the private sector and what a private sector "acquisition / disposal / I don't know yet." might look like.

"We are certainly not turning our back on it but I think we have to draw a line at some point."

The 1907 rebuilding of The Cutler's was part of a general rebuilding in Westgate to provide a broader highway into the town to relieve traffic congestion. The Alma was rebuilt in 1909 and is noteworthy for the use of architectural lettering and the reference to Bentleys Rotherham Ales on the facade.

Chantry Brewery was established in Parkgate in 2012 and reopened The Cutler's in 2014 following a restoration, inside and out. Live music has been a constant at the venue with a temporary outdoor marquee almost always at the rear.

Vertigan described Chantry as "a great asset to the town centre" and added: "We have worked really closely with Chantry Brewery over this last six months to a year or so and I think that one of the primary drivers is, I think, to make sure that they are sustainable in the long term.

"It is a successful and very popular venue so we are thinking of them more as the operator. The original plans that we looked at for The Alma surrounded the back and incorporated both properties. We are still talking to them about what they might like to do.

"I know it is a bit of a dream for them to have The Alma as well and we still want to really help support them."

Chantry Brewery website

Images: Google Maps / RMBC

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News: Refusal for demolition of historic Rotherham pub

Plans from owners to demolish a historic pub in the town centre have been refused by Rotherham Council.

Rothbiz reported in June that Satnam Urban Regeneration Ltd had applied for planning permission to demolish most of the Alma Tavern on Westgate.

The plans would see the demolition of most of the fire-damaged former pub but its historic frontage would be saved.

In turning down the plans, officers at Rotherham Council concluded that demolition is unjustified.

The decision states: "The site and buildings make significant contributions to the character and appearance of the conservation area and the setting of the adjacent listed building. Their demolition, which is unjustified, would therefore fail to satisfy the requirements of the National Planning Policy Framework and Local Plan policies CS23 ‘Valuing the Historic Environment’, SP40 ‘Listed Buildings’ and SP41 ‘Conservation Areas’ which seek to protect, preserve and enhance the special character of conservation areas and the setting of listed buildings."

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The Alma Tavern, which owners say is close to collapse, possesses an attractive and valuable façade, probably the last memory of Rotherham’s earliest commercial brewery, Bentleys, but in 2012 a fire in the roof space caused further damage to the vacant building. It sits alongside the saved and revamped Cutler's Arms - a listed building.

The applicant also failed to submit a survey to assess whether bats are present within the exposed roof structure and the planning officers concluded: "Discussions during the determination of the application have identified that it is not possible to support a scheme of this nature nor would any amendments make it acceptable. It was not considered to be in accordance with the principles of the National Planning Policy Framework and resulted in this refusal."

Developer, Satnam had hoped to demolish the Alma Tavern and Cutler's Arms to make way for car parking when it applied for planning permission to build a large retail store on the riverside site. In 2005, Rotherham Council refused the plans.

Images: Google Maps

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News: Demolition planned at historic Rotherham pub

A fire-damaged former pub in Rotherham that is on the brink of collapse would be demolished under newly submitted plans - but its historic frontage would be saved.

Satnam Urban Regeneration Ltd has recently applied for planning permission to demolish most of the Alma Tavern on Westgate.

Although the building is not listed (unlike the saved and re-opened Cutler's Arms next door), permission is required as it is located in the town centre's conservation area.

Plans state that the proposal would leave the front façade (reduced to first storey window lintel high) to be structurally supported using steelworks. The top apex stone works would be in-tombed on site for possible future use.

The Alma Tavern possesses an attractive and valuable façade, probably the last memory of Rotherham’s earliest commercial brewery, Bentleys, but in 2012 a fire in the roof space caused further damage.

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The plans add: "The structure has been subject to multiple fires and has became inhabitable ... the fire damage to the roof has caused large sections of the roof without any covering allowing rain water to enter the building ... this has caused major water damaged to rot through the joists of the first floor which has now fallen to ground level and is leaning on the front facade, this compounded by the foliage growing through the masonry which has removed large sections of mortar has put the building at the point where collapsed [sic] is inevitable."

Developer, Satnam had hoped to demolish the Alma Tavern and Cutler's Arms to make way for car parking when it applied for planning permission to build a large retail store on the riverside site. In 2005, Rotherham Council refused the plans with one reason for refusal being that the pubs "make a contribution to the streetscene and add to the character of the setting of the listed building."

For these demolition plans advice from the council included concerns that the front façade of the former Alma Tavern was "something that Rotherham planning would probably have to decline the full demolition of," so the compromise that was agreed in principle was to leave the front façade of the building intact but remove the top apex section for safety.

Images: Google Maps

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