North Kesteven District Council is continuing to explore opportunities to invest in a refreshed vision for the Heart of Sleaford, centred on renewed aspirations to deliver a new cinema in the town.
Options are currently under consideration as it continues to engage in discussions around the potential for a cinema to sit within a broader vision of regeneration.
Council Leader Cllr Richard Wright said the economic position of such a project had changed enormously over the five years since the previous £4m proposals were outlined, but which the Covid pandemic put an end to.
“The realisation of a cinema remains a key objective within both the Sleaford Masterplan and the Council’s investment aspirations. Given the volume and nature of many public comments regretting – as I do – that it has not happened yet, but still calling for a cinema to be a part of that vision, I am reassured that we continue to be doing the right thing by exploring opportunities to bring one to fruition,” he said.
Options for the Heart of Sleaford, with proposals, will be developed in consultation with key stakeholders and the community, building on extensive engagement to date in the progressive development of masterplan options.
“I hope that we will be able to advance these during the current financial year,” said Cllr Wright.
“While I realise many people are frustrated that we’ve not used any of the recent £3.2m Government funding for Sleaford and the wider District to bring a cinema forward, we did explore it and included its feasibility in our initial proposals. But it proved impossible given the time constraints on spending the money by March 2025 and the negotiation needed to ensure everything is in place to secure the best solution for the town.
“Even if timings weren’t an issue, the nature of the funding meant that very little of it could have been spent on an actual building in this case but, as I say, our enthusiasm to bring a solution forward is unchanged.”
Image credit: Stock.adobe.com/Mr. Music
