Battle of cinemas in High Court

A High Court judge will make a crucial ruling that will affect plans for two multi-million pound cinemas proposed for Peterborough city centre. The city council has given permission for both plans, but with fears the city can only sustain one a legal battle has been launched.

Peterborough City Council has told a High Court judge there was nothing irrational about its approval of two rival multi-million pound cinemaled developments. The local authority was defending its decision to back both a £30 million cinema-led development in the Queensgate shopping centre and a £100milloncinema, retail and housingventurefortheneighbouring North Westgate site.

North Westgate developers, Hawksworth Securities, have gone to the High Court to demand a judicial review of the council’s decision last October.

Theyclaim their schemeis scuppered by the Queensgate plan approval as two cinemas in close proximity will not be viable.

In written submissions, the local authority’s counsel Reuben Taylor QC said there was nothing irrational in the decision to grant permission for both schemes.

He said it was part of the recognised need to improve, expandandenhancethecity’s “cultural andleisure” offering and improve its economy.

But Hawksworth’s counsel Hereward Phillpot QC told Mrs Justice Lang: “There is only sufficient demand to support the development of one new cinema in Peterborough city centre.”

Hesaid if the council’s permission to Queensgate went ahead their own scheme “will be rendered unviable andwill not be implemented.”

Hawksworth allege the council made no reference in its reasons for granting permission to Queensgate on the impact it would have on their scheme.

They claim the council’s decision is unfair, unreasonable and unlawful and want the judge to block it.

Timothy Corner QC for Queensgate, in written submissions, statedbothschemes were in accordance with the developmentplanfor the city.

He said even if the North Westgate scheme was put in jeopardy by the Queensgate scheme it did not oblige the council to refuse the scheme.

The decision has been reserved and is expected to be given in a few weeks.

How one of the cinemas might look.

An image shows howthe planned North Westgate development could look.