Mystery over future of former cinema building

Councillors have called on a cinema chain to surrender its long-term lease on a now-empty building to allow a new operator to move in.

Curzon is believed to have about 12 years remaining on the contract it agreed for its former venue in Ripon city centre, which closed in July 2023.

On Monday, Ripon City Council passed a motion calling on the company to surrender its agreement after Ripon BID said a "an exciting new leisure facility comprising a cinema, children's soft play, café, restaurant and a live lounge" was ready to take over the site on North Street with the support of the building's owners, Sterne Properties.

Curzon said it had yet to come to a "compromise" over ending its contract.

Andrew Williams, who tabled the motion, which was unanimously passed, accused Curzon of "refusing to engage with the landlord in meaningful discussion".

"It's infuriating for the poor businesses on North Street who are located opposite and adjacent to the former Curzon," he said.

"We, as a community, have got a large empty premises in the city centre which could be utilised and could be supporting the city centre."

Williams said the empty space was causing "significant harm" to one of the city centre's main streets "and depriving the local community of the ability to have a cinema and soft play centre for kids with their stubbornness."

Anne Whiles co-owns a shoe shop located directly opposite the former cinema.

"It's not had a good impact," she said of the ongoing presence of a large empty building on the street.

"We are fine as a business, but it's obviously better if places are open."

Sources told the BBC Sterne Properties had tried to negotiate with Curzon to bring an end to the lease. Sterne Properties could not be contacted for comment.

When Curzon arrived in Ripon in 2013, it was reportedly the first cinema in the cathedral city for 31 years.

"Challenging trading conditions" post-Covid were blamed for the closure of the two-screen multiplex.

Ripon BID manager Lilla Bathurst remained tight-lipped on the identity of the building's prospective new operators, but said: "They have got a good business case and they are actively speaking to Sterne, who agree they have a good business case.

"It would be great to bring that back into a leisure facility."

In a letter to Ripon BID members, Curzon said: "Post-pandemic changes to cinema-going habits meant the venue was no longer profitable.

"We recognise that the site sitting empty is less than ideal for local residents and businesses."

The cinema chain said it welcomed a new vendor taking over the site, but said the terms proposed to end its agreement "fail to accurately reflect the post-pandemic shift in the rental market".

"Curzon is being asked to absorb unfair costs under what we consider to be unreasonable terms to facilitate this new tenant," it added.

"We ask Sterne Properties to come to a more equitable compromise and share the financial burden caused by a completely unexpected disruption to the cinema business."

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