Future of Bognor's Picturedrome secure

The legal paperwork needed to buy the Picturedrome has been completed.

The £445,000 purchase of the Grade II listed building removes any threat to the much-loved two-screen attraction.

Cllr Jenny Gillibrand, who chairs Bognor Regis Town Council’s environment and leisure committee, said: “The cinema is an important amenity for local residents and one of the few visitor attractions we have left.

“So I am delighted our decision will benefit residents, visitors and the wider economy.

“Residents will not only be able to see where their council tax is going but also enjoy their very own long-term investment.”

The town centre landmark was built as the Assembly Rooms in 1886 and has been showing films since 1919.

Its long-standing owner, Bognor Pier Company, announced in August 2009 it wanted to convert the 400-seat main screen into flats.

The company’s directors said the income from the building as a cinema was too low to fund essential repairs to the roof and other ageing areas.

Only the 78-seat second screen and the ground-floor cafe would remain to show films.

But an outcry from residents led to calls to enable the cinema to survive in the age of out of town multiplexes.

The government listed the building because of its historic importance to Bognor and Arun District Council rejected the plan for flats.

This situation prompted the town council to revive its thoughts of buying the cinema’s site on the corner of Canada Grove and Linden Road.

The decision was agreed at an historic meeting of councillors in May after scores of Observer readers urged them to act. Months of negotiations have followed.

Town council policy and resources committee chairman Greg Burt said the cinema was the first property the council had owned since it was formed in 1984.

“At last, we have a building and some land of our own. Nearly all councillors agreed this would prove a wise investment and good use of public funds,” he said.

“Predecessors tried to acquire the town hall but this had limited public uses and potential revenue streams.

“Our more recent efforts to acquire the railway station were hampered by not being able to secure a very long tenure.”

The town council intends the rent from the cinema to cover the repayment of the low interest loan it has taken out for the purchase.

But some council tax payers’ money is likely to be spent on urgent roof repairs and new safety systems.

The building will continue to be operated by tenant businesses. Managing agents have been appointed by the town council to handle lettings and other day-to-day matters.