News / Housing
Last-ditch attempt to save old cinema from demolition
A last-ditch attempt has been launched to save an 83-year-old building from being demolished.
The former Broadway Cinema and later bingo hall is set to be knocked down by Bristol City Council to make way for new homes.
The facility on Filwood Broadway in Knowle West opened in 1938 but has been closed since the early nineties.
is needed now More than ever
Now one man says he will do “whatever it takes” to stop the old picture house from being pulled down.
A bid has been launched to stop the former Broadway Cinema from being demolished. Photo by Charlie Watts
Filwood Residents Association chair, Nick Haskins, said: “I’m prepared to go in that building and sit there and squat until somebody sees a bit of sense.
“The infrastructure in Knowle West needs to be sorted and it needs to be sorted now.
“They’re [the council] taking everything away and giving nothing back.”
Nick Haskins has suggested several possible uses for the building. Photo by Nick Haskins
Nick, who is also campaigning for a supermarket to open on Filwood Broadway, wants to see the building brought back into community use.
He believes it could be used for “a hell of a lot of things”, such as performances, a roller rink and even a small cinema.
He added: “The kids have got nowhere to go. There are people sat at home bored to death because they haven’t got anything to do.”
Bob Fisher is calling for the cinema to become a performance venue for music and theatre. Photo by Charlie Watts
Knowle West boxing legend Bob Fisher would also like to see the old cinema “modernised as a social event place”.
He said: “It’s an opportunity because at the moment, all they’re [the council] talking about is housing.”
“They’re not listening to the public,” he added. “There’s going to be nowhere around for any social facilities.”
Bob used to box in the cinema, and remembers being unable to get into a PJ Proby concert in the building in 1964 – because it was too busy.
The 1,160-seat cinema also hosted boxing matches and concerts before being converted into a bingo hall in 1971. Photo by Charlie Watts
The old cinema, which is connected to a row of shops and flats, was supposed to be demolished by the end of the summer.
A Bristol City Council spokesperson explained: “The demolition at the existing cinema site is being managed carefully over the coming months, while solutions to ensure the structural safety of remaining buildings during the process continue.”
In its place, the council is proposing an “affordable” housing development, with a public consultation set to be launched this month.
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 by Nick Haskins
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