Calls to reopen cinema after homes plan is refused
PLANS to convert part of a former cinema into new homes have been refused amid calls for it to be reopened.
Developer Premier Petrols had submitted an application to turn what was once Majestic Cinema on Mill Street, Macclesfield
, into 10 one-bed flats.
The proposals received some support, including from Macclesfield Civic Society, for providing ‘much-needed’ housing and not impacting on the building’s distinctive white tower
But Macclesfield Town Council were among those to object, raising concerns of overdevelopment and lack of parking.
Another objector said: “The building needs to be returned to it’s original purpose, a cinema.
“Macclesfield is and has been in desperate need of such for years, with countless promises made and never fulfilled. The last thing needed is for the towns heritage to be destroyed.” Dukes Court Bar Group, which has late night venues nearby, said residential properties ‘may significantly disrupt the normal operations of my businesses.’ But in refusing the application, Cheshire East Council did not think there would be potential for a loss of heritage.
Planning officer Faye Plant said the plans would ‘not cause harm’ to heritage assets. She said: “The accommodation proposed is not considered to result in a good quality of accommodation for future occupiers as a result of a poor outlook and natural light.”
Majestic Cinema opened in 1922 and its run of more than 60 years saw it outlast other picture houses in Macclesfield.
In 2000 the majority of the cinema building was demolished to be turned into a bar.
This itself closed in 2020 and has opened since but only on a limited basis and solely on the ground floor.
A previous Premier Petrols application to create flats was submitted last year but withdrawn after also failing to attract the support of Macclesfield Town Council.
But the developer submitted the new plans early this year with a report saying: “The scheme provides for town centre Living and regenerating the area. “The new development will provide a sustainable use for the site.”
The building needs to be returned to it’s original purpose, a cinema