Cinema built in wrong place twice finally opens

A Cambridgeshire cinema complex that had to be taken down part-way into its construction has finally opened – with terror-instilling monster movie Godzilla as its opening flick.

As Building reported last year, an error saw the future Cineworld – which is part of St Neots’ £7m Rowley Arts Centre - sited 75 centimetres further north than it should have been.

Contractor Britannia Construction blamed the blunder on inaccurate design information provided to the firm that it said had been “present from the earliest stages of the scheme”.

Developer Turnstone Estates opted to dismantle the structure and start again in a bid to offset neighbours’ concerns and minimise further delays.

But more drama was yet to come.

Just a couple of months later, it emerged that the newly-resurrected structure was still 20 centimetres further north and 30 centimetres further west than it should have been.

This time, however, a retrospective planning application was made for the building to remain in place, and Huntingdonshire District Council approved the move.

Cineworld general manager Nick Bashford said the firm was “absolutely thrilled” to be unveiling the cinema.

“We look forward to welcoming the community and sharing our passion for film with everyone in the local area,” he said.

Handing over the building ahead of its fit-out earlier this yeart, Turnstone managing director Chris Goldsmith said somewhat understatedly that the people of St Neots had “watched with eager anticipation” as the scheme had “come out of the ground”.