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Twist in the tale as £1m pub bid for the Savoy is thrown out
Kirsty Elleray11/ 4/2007
AFTER years of thrilling its audiences with the latest films, the much-loved Savoy cinema in Heaton Moor could have a very happy ending of its own.
Hundreds of people living near the Savoy on Heaton Moor Road have been fighting plans to turn one of the last remaining independent cinemas in the region into a £1million pub.
And now thanks to people power, it has won a stay of execution.
Lisa Fan, the Savoy's owner for more than 12 years, said falling attendances and rising costs had forced her to sell.
The Barracuda Group was refused permission by local planning chiefs last year to convert the 460-seat cinema - which opened in 1923 - into a huge Smith and Jones pub.
It would have had a capacity of 300 people but the plans triggered more than 630 local people to sign petitions against it.
The pub group appealed but now residents are celebrating the news that it has been rejected by the Planning Inspectorate due to the impact on residential amenity and highway safety.
Councillor Colin Foster said: "The decision to throw out the appeal is excellent news.
"The arguments that we put forward about the impact on the Moor Top shopping centre and surrounding residential areas have been totally accepted by the Planning Inspectorate.
"We did not want a huge pub in the middle of our shopping centre and close to residential properties.
"Now we can start discussions with the cinema owners about the retention of the cinema."
A spokeswoman for the Barracuda said: "This is the end of the road for this plan and we are disappointed.
"We identified Heaton Moor as an ideal location for a Smith and Jones pub and we will look at other locations in the area."
The Savoy, designed by architects Pierce and Son, with seating for more than 1,013, opened in 1923, despite furious protests by locals, including church groups.
In 1938 disaster was averted when fire swept through the building.
When it re-opened, the roof was replaced, but the cinema remained identical to that destroyed by the fire.
The venue was the scene of controversy in 1958 when Hammer Films' version of Dracula was taken off after just three days, following protests and poor box office takings.
It closed for a revamp in 1970 and reopened boasting it would be the 'ultimate in luxury cinema-going'.
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11/04/2007 at 13:27