Paignton Picture House to be restored with £284,730 funding
The disused Paignton Picture House is set to be transformed thanks to £284,730 from the Community Ownership Fund.
The building in Devon will be renovated to become an independent cinema and performance venue, with additional space for community education and creative workshops. The venue has been closed since 1999 and used to be frequented by detective novelist Agatha Christie.
It comes as the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities announced today (30 June 2023) the latest allocations from the second round of the £150 million Community Ownership Fund.
Local pubs and a rugby club are among 52 community assets which will be revived thanks to almost £13 million of government levelling up funding.
The funding will help community groups take ownership of local institutions that have fallen into disrepair or are under threat of closure and give them a new lease of life, ensuring they continue to provide vital services, create opportunities and boost local economies.
Recent changes to the fund now mean that the amount of funding all projects can bid for has increased from £250,000 to £1 million, making it easier than ever for community groups to seize back control of prized local assets that are at risk of being lost forever.
Dehenna Davison, Minister for Levelling Up, said: “This cash will help to restore the Paignton Picture House and give local people a great venue to take a trip to the cinema.
“We want people across the country to have great opportunities no matter where they live, and ensuring they can continue to benefit from treasured local institutions is an important part of this.”
The Community Ownership Fund has now delivered £36.8m investment for a total of 150 projects across the UK, including £3m for Northern Ireland, £5.2m for Scotland, £3.2m for Wales and £25.5m for England.
Josephine Brown, Project Director for the Paignton Picture House, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded a grant from the Community Ownership Fund. The grant will enable the Trust to bring this important historic building and much-loved community venue back into use.
“It emphasises the significant value that this project has an anchor regeneration project in the town centre, with a vision to be truly transformational for place-making locally.
“For over 100 years the building was at the heart of community life, and the grant brings the Trust one step closer in our ambitions to reopen the fully restored building within the next 18 months".
