13th January 2017
By Graham Smith
Follow @CornwallReports
Supporters of a public bid to take over Bodmin’s Public Rooms say they are angry and disappointed by reports that the town council has rejected their attempt – and decided to sell the building to a cinema chain instead.
The Bodmin Public Rooms Trust had raised £45,000 in only four months, and enlisted the support of several celebrities, in an attempt to buy the building from the council. The council has for more than a year been trying to sell it, with a price of only £132,500 in view of the repairs needed to restore the Victorian-era property.

The Pheonix cinema closed in the 1960s
The council meeting was held in secret, after more than 40 members of the public had made representations in favour of the Public Rooms Trust proposal.
The Trust had wanted to use the Public Rooms for community groups, a café and bar, with the infrastructure to support and encourage other local activity around the town. The winning bid is understood to involve the creation of a four-screen cinema.
Bodmin has not had a cinema since the Palace Cinema (left), on the corner of Fore Street and Crockwell Street, closed in the 1960s.
“We are very disappointed,” said Peter Old, chairman of the Trust bid. “The council appears to have gone against the clearly expressed wish of the people.”
Another local resident, Chris Batters, who is also a Cornwall councillor, said he was angry that the town council had failed to make its decision in a transparent way. “There should have been a recorded vote,” he said.
Related Posts
- Bodmin Public Rooms - new Town Council asked to scrap cinema plan
18th July 2017By Graham SmithThe future of Bodmin’s Public Rooms could be about to be…
- The battle for Bodmin's Public Rooms heats up as the lawyers go in
28th January 2017 By Graham Smith The battle over Bodmin’s Public Rooms has escalated, with…
- Decision day for Bodmin Public Rooms, as planners meet to consider cinema bid
14th August 2017By Rashleigh MacFarlaneThe long-running saga over what should happen to the Bodmin Public…
- Bodmin cinema gets the go ahead
14th August 2017By Graham SmithPlanners have voted 9-5 to end the long-running saga over Bodmin’s…