Opposing development of flats in the Whiteladies Picture House

Dear All
As the owner of the Whiteladies Picturehouse, I feel it is important that I should clarify our proposals for the building.
I’m aware of a great deal of confusion being created by the so called “rival” proposals by the Whiteladies Picturehouse Group, and would like to take this opportunity to present the facts.
I’m incredibly grateful for all the support many of you have already pledged to our joint proposals with Everyman Media Group, and would like to thank you for that.
I have signed a legally binding contract with Everyman who are committed to leasing the building for 25 years and reopening it as a cinema as early as next year. They have publicly stated that they will invest in the region of £3 million fitting out the cinema. I will also be investing approximately £1million repairing and restoring the building. This is a real investment, and does not rely on public donation or grant assisted funding.
This deal is obviously subject to planning permission. We have applied for listed building consent to make minor alterations to the building in order to restore the 3 screen cinema. You may already be aware that the auditorium was split into 3 screens back in 1978 and we will be mirroring the existing sub-division in order to limit any further harm to the building.
We will be restoring the much-loved architectural features of the building including the ornate ceiling in the auditorium, the marble columns in the foyer and of course the iconic tower.
We have also applied for planning permission for 5 additional flats in the part of the building that was previously used as offices by Odeon and in the empty roof space above. These flats will not affect the cinema auditorium or foyer. Neither will they alter the existing exterior façade. They will be enclosed within the existing envelope of the building and will not change its appearance.
The flats are necessary to fund the extensive restoration work that must be carried out for the building to be re-opened to the public once again. This, in simple terms, is what makes our joint proposal with Everyman commercially viable and a very real opportunity to bring this building back to life as a cinema.
May I also address the question mark over the restrictive covenant put in place by Odeon when I purchased the building. I can confirm that an agreement is in place for this to be extinguished in return for an agreed sum of money. It is not a barrier to our proposals.
You may have received requests from the Whiteladies Picture house group to object to our proposals on the basis that they want to provide something “better”. The simple facts are:
• They don’t own the building and therefore are not in a position to do anything with it.
• They have never made a formal offer to buy the building or provided any evidence of having the funding to do so.
• The building is not for sale as a contract has been signed with Everyman
• The Clifton and Hotwells Improvement Society has not agreed to object to our planning application, despite the public claims made by the Whiteladies Picturehouse Group that it has.
• Our planning application is not, as WLPH allege, a “Trojan Horse” application in order to just build the flats and not the cinema. This is a ludicrous suggestion as Bristol City Council’s planners would never allow it. I have no such intention and am happy to confirm this in writing today. I am legally bound to provide the cinema to Everyman after planning consent is granted.
I sincerely hope this letter has helped you to better understand the issues being debated and given you confidence in our proposals.
1) This is the only viable option on the table and the only opportunity to reopen this historic building as a cinema after 13 years.
2) It is the only planning application up for consideration.
3) The Whiteladies Picturehouse group may have some nice ideas, but that’s all they are. Ideas. They don’t own the building.
4) If our planning application fails, I can’t stress enough that there is very real danger the building will sit empty for years to come.
Thanks for taking the time to read this.

David Lewin