‘Striking’ Fort cinema plans sent to council
Fort William is another step closer to having a cinema again after plans for the new Highland Cinema were formally submitted to Highland Council for planning permission this week, writes Neill Bo Finlayson.
The Highland Cinema project will see a new two-studio cinema being built in place of the current building on Cameron Square in the centre of the town and, if approved by Highland councillors, demolition and construction are expected to start in January.
The man behind the project, Moidart entrepreneur Angus MacDonald, who officially purchased the building from current DV8 in August, is keen to transform the square into ‘a beautiful public space’.
The 55-year-old from Roshven, who also owns The Highland Bookshop on the High Street, took ownership of the building in September and held a public consultation in the building last month.
The plans reveal that the building will comprise two parts: the café and restaurant facing the square will be open and public while the cinema screens and studios will be housed in a building at the rear of the site. Mr MacDonald hopes to offer a wide variety of films to the 20,000 locals and 440,000 annual visitors.
Skye-based architectural firm Dualchas Architects have designed the new cinema complex and stated that the idea is ‘to create a striking building, very much of its place and making a strong reference to traditional Highland architecture’.
Fort William has been without a working cinema for 12 years, despite several attempts in the recent past to restore the facility in the town.