Anger after plans to replace historic cinema with homes approved

“Outrageous,” shouted Nick Haskins as he stormed out of a council meeting after being told it is too late to save a historic cinema from demolition.

The planning committee voted to approve plans to build 30 homes with some community and commercial space in place of the former Broadway Cinema.

Demolition of the 85-year-old building on Filwood Broadway in Knowle West was approved back in 2019, and is due to be completed by early May despite a recent delay.

But Haskins, the self-proclaimed “voice of Knowle West”, says he has “one more card to play” in his relentless fight to save the cinema – though he will not reveal what it is.

Knowle West campaigner Nick Haskins has spoken out after plans to replace a historic cinema were approved – photo: Charlie Watts

“Bristol City Council have lied, cheated, conspired to do everything that they could to pull this building down,” Haskins told the planning committee meeting on Wednesday.

“We could use that building for arts, boxing, bingo, cinema – there’s a lot of stuff that can be done in that building.

“And we could make sure that the kids up in Knowle West got something because at the moment they got nothing.”

Haskins says he has “one more card to play” in his fight to save the Broadway Cinema, which opened in 1938 but closed in the early 1990s after being converted to a bingo hall – photo: Charlie Watts

The committee’s chair, councillor Ani Stafford-Townsend, told Haskins they can’t save the building from being demolished, with the decision to demolish it made in 2019 – which led to him walking out.

The committee was meeting on Wednesday to vote on the council’s planning application for what it wants to build in place of the cinema, which has been derelict for 30 years.

They ultimately approved the plans, which will see 17 flats and 13 houses built in place of the old cinema, the former petrol station site next to it and an area of wasteland behind it.

Bristol City Council plans to build 30 homes in place of the former cinema, all of which will be social housing – photo: Bristol City Council

But Stafford-Townsend formally recognised that it is “very unfortunate” the committee was not able to consider demolition of the cinema.

“I’d like to think this is the last time we lost a building of significance to Bristol like this,” they said.

“And I hope that going forward, Bristol City Council is much more proactive in supporting communities in saving these assets”.

The development will include two multi-storey blocks with community and commercial space on the ground floor – photo: Bristol City Council

The plans to replace the cinema include two three to four-storey blocks facing onto Filwood Broadway – the local high street in Knowle West which has just received a £15m boost to help with its regeneration.

Despite Haskins’ reservations, Filwood councillor Chris Jackson supports the council’s plans.

“Nothing can be done to the cinema, there is no money to revamp it,” he said

Jackson also said there is an independent supermarket operator ready to occupy the commercial space in the development – which will be welcomed by residents who have been campaigning for a supermarket in the area.

Haskins took a photo of his grandfather to the old cinema in defiance of the council’s plans to demolish it – photo: Charlie Watts

But for Haskins, whose grandfather helped to build the cinema, it’s “absolutely disgusting” the planning committee was unable to save the building.

“I went to that meeting with all intentions of putting over a good fight for Knowle West, and the decision had already been made,” he said.

He promises to “keep fighting” to keep the former cinema in Knowle West.

Charlie Watts is reporting on Knowle West as part of Bristol24/7’s community reporter scheme, a pilot project which aims to tell stories from areas of Bristol traditionally under-served by the mainstream media

Main photo: Charlie Watts

Read next: 

• Plans to replace former cinema with homes set for approval
• ‘If this cinema was in Clifton, it wouldn’t be being knocked down’
• Demolition of former community centre begins ahead of site redevelopment  
• Plans submitted for new homes on former swimming pool site
• Outrage at proposals to relocate decades-old library 

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