Yate cinema dream becomes reality

A 15 year campaign has come to fruition with the opening of Yate's very own multiplex cinema.

Councillors and Liberal Democrat Focus Team members, led by former MP Steve Webb, campaigned for over 15 years to bring a cinema to the town. Last Thursday it was officially opened by the Mayor of Yate, Cllr Tony Davis (pictured on the right here celebrating with other members of the Focus Team who campaigned for the cinema).

The developers say that we wouldn't have got the cinema if it wasn't for the massive support from local people and Yate Town Council. This shows what a community can achieve if it's determined enough for long enough. A big thank you to everyone who supported our campaign.


Flashback to 2014 - Yate Cinema campaigners celebrate
the announcement that the cinema is on its way

Yate cinema here we come!

The Yate cinema that we've all been campaigning for over many years finally opens to the public on Friday 29 April - they're starting with "Captain America: Civil War" in 2D and 3D versions.

There will be a launch event the previous evening for an invited audience, so by the time we all get there we can be pretty sure that everything will work!

You can find out more on their facebook page.

Yate Cinema construction starts next week

Work on the Yate Riverside, the cinema and leisure development, will start next Monday, 9th February.

The first steps will be to establish the contractor’s compound and start removing the trees and shrubbery in the development area, an operation that will take around four weeks. The developers and Yate Shopping Centre been working closely with South Gloucestershire Council officers and Natural England to minimise the impact on any wildlife. We understand that the outstanding tree issues have been sorted out, and the badgers have been successfully moved to their new sett nearby. What's more they have started to reoccupy and extend an old sett next door.  

Because of the works, the overflow car park off Link Road will be closed from early March until the end of September. Shopping Centre retailers will be assigned 100 special parking spaces in the main car park for their staff so as to ensure the vast majority of spaces are still available for shoppers - short term pain for long term gain. At least it's not the Christmas shopping season, but there will be some inconvenience at peak times. The Shopping Centre has asked shoppers where possible to come on foot or cycle, or public transport.

The retail and restaurant units are scheduled to open in early December. The cinema is now scheduled to open by Easter 2016. Not quite as soon as we had hoped, but it's all happening!

Cineworld confirmed for new Yate Riverside cinema, opening late 2015

Cineworld have been confirmed as the main tenant for the new cinema and retail development, which will be called Yate Riverside.

The main construction work will start early next year, aiming for the cinema to be ready late in the year, ready for Christmas.

Councillor Ruth Davis, a member of the Focus Team that has been fighting for a cinema in Yate for well over 10 years, expressed her delight that things are now happening: “Many previous shopping centre owners have told me they will try to get a cinema but nothing has ever come of it. Today Yate Shopping Centre's owners Crestbridge are delivering and I know that local councillors and residents are absolutely thrilled that things are moving forward"

Steve Webb MP welcomed the news and said: “I’m delighted that the plans for the cinema complex have taken another step forward. After years of campaigning we are nearing the finishing line, and I look forward to joining other local residents in seeing films locally, hopefully by the end of next year”.

Yate cinema wins approval

"And... Action!" - Planners give
go-ahead for Yate Cinema

Planning permission has now been granted for the Yate Cinema and the associated retail development, a decision which has been hanging on a knife edge. The 8th May meeting of the DC (East) planning committee gave the go-ahead after a detailed debate led by Lib Dem councillors Pat Hockey and Alan Lawrance.

In the vote that followed the scheme was approved by five votes to nil. The Conservative councillors on the committee felt unable to support the proposal, so they all abstained.

This is the culmination of a ten year campaign by Steve Webb MP and the Focus Team to get a cinema for Yate - what really swung the decision was the massive local support for the proposal, as demonstrated by Steve Webb's cinema petition.

The team at Yate Shopping Centre are to be congratulated on putting together a viable commercial proposal even in these difficult times. They say that building is scheduled to start next January, and opening around October 2015. So we could have a local multi-screen cinema up and running within 18 months.

Good news in cinema campaign

As reported on our sister blog, there is good news in the long running campaign for a cinema in Yate.

The owners of Yate Shopping Centre have announced a consultation on plans for a cinema complex on the land at the back of the Overflow Car Park. At a press conference with Steve Webb MP - a long-term campaigner for the cinema - proposals were revealed for a six-screen cinema complex, six restaurants and three or four shop units. There will be extra parking spaces and over 150 jobs will be created.

The plans will be put on display in one of the shop units in the Shopping Centre. The public will be able to come along and quiz the developers about the scheme. Once any fine-tuning has been done there will be a formal planning application. If all goes well the cinema could be open by Christmas 2014 or Easter 2015.

You can read the Shopping Centre press release here:

http://www.yateshoppingcentre.co.uk/Media-Centre/Cinema-Restaurants-and-Retail-12-million-investment-planned-at-Yate-Shopping-Centre

We'll post more details as we get them.

Mobile film show - Saturday 12th March

On Saturday 12th March two films will be shown at Crossbow Community Centre. For young people, there is Johnny Depp in "Alice in Wonderland" (doors open 5.40pm for a 6pm start) while adults can enjoy "Inception" (doors open 8pm for an 8.15pm showing).

If you could help with setting out chairs and so on, please contact Jen Dunford.