Plans to restore a derelict Art-Deco cinema in Birmingham and fill it with audiences once more have been unveiled to city conservationists.
The neglected Royalty Cinema in Harborne is being lined up for restoration and reopening by a major national cinema operator in collaboration with local campaign group, the Royalty Harborne Trust.
The plans will see the 1930s building restored as a fully functioning cinema with one large and two smaller auditoriums, the creation of a ground-floor café and facilities which could be adapted for community use or events.
It would also see the stunning internal decoration and landmark frontage restored to their former glory. The proposals were given the thumbs up the council’s Conservation and Heritage Panel – an advisory group of architectural experts.
One told the Birmingham Post: “This is a serious proposal involving not just the trust but a major cinema operator and we all thought it was excellent.
“It is not often you hear of one of these buildings being returned to its original stated use.”
Another said the plans were ‘very encouraging’ and they hoped that a deal could be struck with the building’s owner to deliver it.
The Royalty was designed by architect Horace G Bradley and opened on October 20, 1930.
It operated as a cinema until 1963 when it was converted into a bingo hall but the building has been empty since 2012.
It was Grade II-listed by Historic England in 2011.
According to the listing citation: “The Royalty is an assured and well-realised design with quality features including some Art Deco detailing, by a cinema architect of note.
“The Art Deco fittings are of high quality, representative of an era of resplendent cinema design”.
A formal planning application has not yet been submitted, but pre-application proposals have been warmly welcomed and are likely to be supported by the planning authorities should the business case stack up.
This is in stark contrast to earlier plans submitted by developer True Pearl Limited. Those involved converting the Royalty into apartments by demolishing much of the cinema and building a seven-storey extension.
The conservation panel was scathing of that plan in August and it was thought unlikely that such a radical conversion of the Grade II-listed building would be backed by Historic England or the planning authorities.
In a statement about the new plans, the Royalty Harborne Trus t said: “It’s really great to see the huge interest in the plans to return the Royalty to a working community asset.
“The trustees are working hard to make it happen.”
