Campaigner's dismay over sale of former Telford cinema

People in Wellington have spent several years trying to turn the former Clifton building into a multi-use centre for artists and musicians.

But now 'sold' signs have appeared on the front of the empty building, and members of the Clifton Community Arts Centre fear they could be too late to save it for the town.

In a letter to the Shropshire Star, group chairman Bill Graham accused Telford & Wrekin Council of having an attitude of "benevolent tolerance" to the Clifton plans while actively supporting other projects in the borough.

Bill Graham, chairman of the Clifton Community Arts Centre, writes on the future of the former Clifton Cinema in Wellington.

"I have been pleased and gratified to see the number of letters appearing in the Shropshire Star in support of the Clifton project, encouraging the borough council to act and deploring the possible loss of this iconic building. Thank you to all who have raised the flag.

"For over three years an energetic group has worked tirelessly to promote the concept of using the Clifton site to create a vibrant and diverse arts and cultural centre in Wellington.

"That group has also amassed several hundred supporters across all sections of the community who have been prepared to contribute financially towards the project, believing that it can and will enhance the lives of the population not just of Wellington, but of the whole borough.

"Why does Telford need this? Because there is no open access building in the borough where people with interests in music, the arts, culture, performance and arts education can gather, focus, interact and use to both inform and entertain not just the general population but also to support young people with aspirations and talent, whether that be in performance, new media, visual or expressive arts. Telford is, to all intents, a cultural desert devoid of opportunities for creativity in its widest sense.

"For most of those three years, the attitude of the borough council to the project was one of benevolent tolerance. Meanwhile, community projects in Madeley, Dawley and St Georges have been generously funded to the tune of many millions.

"New community facilities have been supported throughout the borough, but for some reason, nothing in Wellington other than a new library.

"Since the election we have seen more positive engagement, but now it is feared this may be too little, too late.

"To compound the problems, the council's officers are now publishing policies that state their wish for all entertainment and potential tourist attractions to be housed at Southwater. What matters most? The commercial interests of the Southwater developers, or the needs and aspirations of the wider community?

"Telford has shown ambitions to be declared a city. One of the great qualifications to be a true city is that there is a diversity of social centres within the boundaries, not just one central core, and that each has an identity that contributes something specific to the whole.

"My vision has always been that whilst the modern town centre area might be considered the commercial heart of Telford, that Wellington can and should be its 'cultural soul'.

"The people of Telford need and deserve the Clifton Community Arts Centre much more than the purely commercial exploitation provided by the town centre.

Bill Graham, Chair, Clifton Community Arts Centre

He said Telford & Wrekin had helped Madeley Town Council to buy the dilapidated Anstice Memorial Hall for £88,000, supported the refurbishment of the Dawley Town Hall, and was moving ahead with the £650,000 refurbishment of the former Gower Street youth club in St Georges.

"New community facilities have been supported throughout the borough, but for some reason, nothing in Wellington other than a new library," said Mr Graham.

"Since the election we have seen more positive engagement, but now it is feared this may be too little, too late."

He said the Clifton offered a "unique opportunity" for conversion into an arts venue that could be used by a number of groups. "No other building provides the opportunity for the range and scope of activities that you can get into there," he added. "It's a huge blank canvas."

Mr Graham said the new owners of the Clifton – who have yet to be announced – would need to go before Telford & Wrekin Council before they could do anything to the building.

He said the members of the Clifton Community Arts Centre group were in the process of applying to have the Clifton listed in the hope of saving it from any threat of demolition.

Nigel Newman, spokesman for Telford & Wrekin Council, said today that the Clifton was different from the buildings in Dawley, Madeley and St Georges mentioned by Mr Graham because it was privately owned.

"Given the stage at which this sale now appears to be, it is impossible for the council to intervene at this time," he added. "When the council has intervened in other buildings in the borough, these have been either of a much smaller scale or owned by the council.

"To purchase the Clifton would have taken a sum five or six times greater than the fee it took to secure the Anstice, for instance. Even if the building had been purchased there is then the issue of securing a further £7 million to deliver the project in its entirety."

"Both the borough and town councils are keen to continue working with the Clifton Group to ensure that all options are identified during any planning application and that councillors Lee Carter and Angela McClements will continue to work closely with the Clifton Group during this process. Whatever the outcome, Telford & Wrekin will be working to try and do the best that it can for Wellington and other town centres."