Closed city centre cinema to become new nightclub

Plans to transform a former city centre cinema into a nightclub have been approved.

Councillors on Bristol City Council's licensing sub-committee said the proposals for the former Odeon on Union Street, in Broadmead, including allowing it to remain open until 05:00, were "fantastic".

Solicitors representing the applicants, UG Arts, pointed out that the building already had a 24-hour entertainment license.

"It's hard to imagine what else that space could be used for," Ewen Macgregor, for UG Arts, said.

"At a time when licensed premises across Bristol and the country are closing, this application should be welcomed and supported," he added.

The former Odeon has remained closed since February, while the cinema chain sets up new premises in nearby Cabot Circus.

Broadmead is subject to wider regeneration plans, and councillors agreed that the proposals helped towards this goal.

"Bristol needs to have this regeneration, it's fantastic," said Paula O'Rourke, who sits as an independent councillor for Clifton.

The sub-committee's chairman, Conservative councillor Richard Eddy, described the former Odeon as the "perfect location for an enterprise such as this".

Speaking after the meeting, Sibusiso Tshabalala, a Green Party councillor who represents the Central ward, hailed the decisions as a "watershed moment for Broadmead's transition".

"We cannot allow our high streets and major heritage assets to sit empty and blighted while long-term developments face viability delays," he added.

"This is not business as usual; it is a highly intentional 'meanwhile' activation that pioneers a progressive 'City Centre Community Centre' concept right in the heart of our shopping district.

"This venue's diverse day-and-night programme spanning theatre, community talks, screenings and music will bring a mature, intergenerational community presence back to the high street."

UG Arts is set to put £500,000 into the redevelopment of the venue and estimates that it will create up to 60 jobs.

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