5th December 2005

Before every political party attempts to take full credit for the new cinema in Stroud (Liberal Democratic, Colleen Rothwells’ letter 30/11/05) it maybe worth knowing exactly where the original initiative for a cinema came from and it certainly wasn’t from established politicians. Rather it came out of a highly successful community action group made up of a very diverse and imaginative group of Stroud citizens. They set up in 1997 something called the CPC, community planning conference which looked at all aspects of Stroud life, from people’s health to the Town’s leisure, education, employment, housing provision and environment.

 
The vision in those meetings was electric both within the specialist groups and the larger conferences, some of which were attended by well over 400 people. A detailed report of their findings and recommendations were submitted to the Ebley Mill. This report was met with a deathly silence by the Council and its non-engagement ultimately killed off this exciting community planning experiment and in reality we are all losers in not utilising this human talent that resides in our Valleys.

The only concept that saw the light of day from the action group was of course the Cinema, which was the top of those people’s wish list in 1997. However what a price they had to pay, one of the most ugly buildings in Gloucestershire and the buses on a main road with little sign of the current administration seemingly being able to solve the problem.

 
I was told at the time, let us get the Cinema first then we will sort out the Buses later! For these reasons, Colleen, Greens on the District Council were highly critical of this scheme. Not as you wish to politically imply, in your letter that we were anti the Cinema per se. Indeed, being a film addict, belonging to the two local film societies, I have already seen two films in there and failed to get into a third as it was fully booked, but I weep every time I go, about the visual abuse of this building on our town.

 
Years of protest about design in this district seems to have had very little impact on the majority of elected councillors, perhaps some of that class of ‘97 should put themselves forward for election for we desperately need them more than ever.

John Marjoram