Abandoned cinema to be BULLDOZED as new plans for major transformation including Burger King and Greggs are revealed
AN ABANDONED cinema is to be bulldozed as new plans for a major transformation including Burger King and Greggs are revealed.
Residents living near an abandoned former cinema in Derby have welcomed major plans to transform the site – after branding it disgusting.
New plans have been submitted to turn the former Showcase Cinemas site on Foresters Park into a care home, as well as new food and drink outlets including Burger King, Starbucks and Greggs.
Derby City Council is currently considering the plans for the site with two different planning applications sent to the local authority within recent months.
LNT Care Developments & Pear Tree (Derby Ltd) wants to build a three-storey 66-bedroom residential care facility with associated access, parking and landscaping at the site.
But the city council has written to developer to register its reservations over how suitable the site is for “sensitive residential use”, due to the nearby Lidl and The Oast House pub.
However, a planning statement on behalf of the developer said the site was “highly suitable” for a care home which would provide a “much-needed” service reports the DerbyTelegraph.
Meanwhile, a separate planning application for the same site wishes to build an additional retail space for a drive-through Burger King restaurant and Starbucks coffee shop next to the care home.
A new Greggs store is also in the pipeline under the plans.
In a letter, the council said: “It is clear that there will be sources of noise on all sides of the site, both during the day and through much of the night.
“Good acoustic design could reduce the impact of external noise within the building.
“But it is likely that noise could be an issue within external amenity areas for the care home, particularly due to the topography and the resulting elevation of the road in relation to the care home.”
However, residents living nearby say they want to see change in the area after the site has stood derelict for years and were very critical of the building’s condition.
One resident said: “I think it is disgusting – I can’t believe someone is allowed to half demolish it and then leave it as it is.
“It’s an eyesore and I’m glad there are new plans in place. Burger King would be awesome, but we need more things for the community.
“I’m not sure if a residential care home would work with it being next to a busy road. But anything is better than leaving it like this.”
How to effectively manage your money
Kara Gammell, finance expert at MoneySuperMarket, gives tips on how to get a handle on your finances so you have more left for saving,
- Analyse your spending
If you’re struggling to get a grip on your finances, the way to start is to do a proper inventory.
Try Emma, the money management app, which uses open banking to combine information from all your bank accounts, savings accounts and credit cards, plus investments. The app then highlights any wasteful subscriptions and costly debt and helps streamline your savings.
What’s more, it analyses your personal finances and recommends ways to conserve money so that you can get on track financially more easily than ever.
If you want to have a deep dive into your spending habits, go through your bank statement at the end of each month and give every purchase a rating of one, two or three.
Mark with a ‘one’ any purchases that didn’t make you feel good; give a ‘two’ rating to things that felt ‘sort of good but indifferent’; and mark with ‘three’ any purchases that you would make all over again in a heartbeat.
You’ll be surprised by what you learn.
- Monitor your credit report
From overdrafts to loans, credit cards, mobile phones and mortgages, it can be hard to keep track of your finances, and it can be all too simple to find yourself in the dark about how much debt you have in total.
But this information forms your credit score, which is used by lenders to determine whether you’ll be offered competitive rates and offers for financial products, or even whether you will even be accepted when you make an application.
I use MoneySuperMarket’s Credit Score tool, which is a free credit report tool that lets me see all my account balances in one place.
I’m automatically notified when my credit report is updated monthly, which can be a huge help in avoiding any financial problems from spiralling and means I always know what my overall financial situation is.
The tool also suggests ways to improve your credit score, so you’re more likely to be offered competitive interest rates, which helps you save money in the long run.
Another, who lives adjacent to the cinema building, said: “It’s such a shame to see the building as it is now.
“It needs to become a beautiful place to come to again. The nice lights and beauty have now gone.
“The cinema was a great place to go.”
A third person said: “I’d welcome something new, definitely. It’s better than an empty building just standing there.”
A new planning statement says: “The existing cinema is in a dilapidated condition at present and can be seen as an unpleasant blot on such a prominent site.
“While the existing trees offer some visual protection, the overarching presence of the cinema is apparent and has been for a number of years.
“Various pre-application meetings have taken place over a period of 12 months and most, if not all, comments received have been addressed where possible.
“The resultant scheme is an exciting, vibrant and necessary proposal for a site which has remained in a state of repair for years on a key site in Derby.”
In 2023, residents living on Osmaston Park Road and nearby called the site “a dump”.
One resident said: “It’s disgusting and it brings rats around here and stuff.
“I wish they’d do something about it, big time. It’s a shame it went down in the first place.”
In other news, brand new Fisker Ocean EVs which were abandoned on the side of a road for five months, are now expected to fetch a collective six-figure sum at auction.
And the discovery of a 1cm-spider brought down a multi-billion-pound proposal in Kent.