Cinema boss plans film comeback for Littlehampton’s Windmill

Adam Cunard, managing director of the Picturedrome Electric Theatre Co Ltd, declared his interest after being given a tour of the Windmill by town and Arun councillor Mike Northeast.

He said: “I’m very interested in the Windmill. There could be a very good future for it.

“Our seat prices would be £2.50, Monday to Friday and £3.50 at weekends.

“I would want to use the studio for a second screen and we would bring in all first-run films. People want to see films when they are brand new.”

He ruled out St Martin’s car park, highlighted as an option by Arun’s leisure consultants Colliers International, as a possible location for a new cinema with two or more screens.

He cited problems with lack of car parking there, the likelihood that no development would take place for a “substantial period”, and the expense of building a completely new cinema as the main stumbling blocks.

Mr Northeast said he invited Mr Cunard, an independent councillor on Arun, to see the Windmill so that his professional expertise could be added into the debate on the venue’s future.

“It is crazy that the doors remain closed for the sake of a minimum investment in a digital projector, considering Arun holds millions of pounds of our money in reserves.

“I’m going back to the town council to, hopefully, set up a meeting with Inspire and the Picturedrome to see whether a deal is possible between a number of partners and the community, perhaps in a volunteer capacity, and bring cinema back to Littlehampton that appeals to all ages, so that we don’t have to go out of town to see the top movies.

Nigel Lynn, Arun’s chief executive, said: “Inspire Leisure runs and manages the operation of the Windmill. The council’s contract with Inspire Leisure is not up until 2016 so it is for Inspire Leisure to make decisions about any future uses of the facility.”

John Stride, chief executive of Inspire, said he couldn’t comment on Mr Cunard’s interest until more details were known.

He pointed out that Inspire’s lease for the venue runs until 2016 and that Inspire would “naturally” be interested in any discussions about the Windmill’s longer-term future with any other parties.