Rejuvenation of former cinema and bingo hall in Wednesbury

Chartered surveyor and property consultancy Sanderson Weatherall has negotiated the sale of a former cinema and bingo hall in Wednesbury, West Midlands.

Acting on behalf of the owners, Wednesbury Enterprises Ltd, Sanderson Weatherall sold the property to Picturedrome Cinemas, a company that specialises in the conversion of old buildings, typically old cinemas, into fully functioning modern cinemas.

The property, which began life as the Gaumont Cinema in 1938 was converted into a bingo hall in the 1970s before closing in 2010 and will be converted into an impressive 900-seater five-screen venue.

Peter Fowles, agent in Sanderson Weatherall’s Birmingham office, commented “We are really pleased to have secured this sale for Wednesbury Enterprises and it’s great that the site will operate as a cinema once again. Picturedrome Cinemas have pledged a £2million investment into the cinema’s renovation and we are excited to see what they do with the space, especially as they plan to keep a number of the building’s original art décor features.

“The unique prospect of this site meant that we received significant levels of interest. We had enquiries for a number of different building uses including; a church, dance studio, theatre, conference centre and residential development.”

Work started on the site in August and it is believed that the venue will re-open by next Summer.