New plan for Kington's old cinema

Plans have been announced to turn a disused former cinema in a Herefordshire town into a function room and art gallery – and occasional cinema.

Keith Larratt is seeking planning permission to revive the Old Picture House in Bridge Street, Kington, following several years of renovation work.

His plan is to make it available for conferences, events and classes – though not parties or weddings.

As such, he is not seeking a licence to serve alcohol or play music, though this would not prevent users of the venue obtaining temporary licences for these.

His proposed hours for the venue would be until 5pm for exhibitions, till 7pm for conferences, classes and community activities, and till 10pm, exceptionally 11pm, for cinema screenings,

Mr Larratt, who lives at the venue and would continue to do so, successfully applied in 2012 to convert it into a jazz club – but this “was not pursued”, his current application says.

His revised proposal would by contrast be likely to produce less noise, particularly as he has added “a substantial amount” of noise insulation cladding.

Built as a Methodist chapel in the mid-1900s, the building housed a cinema between the late 1920s and late 1960s.

It was among venues used in the county-wide Herefordshire Art Week, or h.Art, earlier this month.

The building is not listed, though several of its immediate neighbours are.

Comments on the application, numbered 230939, can be made until October 19.