NEARLY 2,000 people have signed a petition to save the Westway Cinema in an outpouring of local support following its closure last month.
The petition, started by town councillor Pippa Goldfinger, will appeal to Mendip District Council to have the venue listed as an ‘asset of community value’. This would afford the cinema extra protection if someone tried to demolish it or change its use in the future.
Cllr Goldfinger said, “Like many other people in Frome I was really sad to hear about the closure of the Westway; a town this size needs its own cinema and it gives older children and teenagers a degree of independence as they can walk to the cinema on their own.
“There is real affection for the Westway and the response to the petition has been overwhelmingly positive, with over 1,700 people signing it in the first few days.
“Since starting the petition I’ve been in contact with the building’s owners, Maybrook Properties, and am told there has been a lot of interest from different parties in running the cinema.
“This is great news and will most likely mean that we won’t need to register the cinema, but the petition shows that there’s strong community support to retain the Westway as a cinema, which should be encouraging for potential investors.”
When Frome Times went to press the petition had attracted 1,943 signatures. There has been widespread support for the cinema since it went into liquidation in March. At the time, Maybrook Properties said it was optimistic that the cinema has a future.
Some people signing the petition have left messages of support. One said, “Small picture halls in small towns have always had an atmosphere lacking in multiplexes. You can’t buy it, and you can’t reproduce it in multiplex hangars.”
To sign the petition online go to you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/save-our-cinema
