More than 4,400 back campaign to reinstate £1.8m Penistone Paramount plans
Plans for a second cinema screen, cafe bar and accessibility improvements have been shelved
More than 4,400 people have backed a petition urging Barnsley Council to reinstate plans for a £1.8m redevelopment of the Penistone Paramount cinema.
Plans for a second cinema screen, cafe bar and accessibility improvements were drawn up through the previous Labour administration’s principal towns and local centres programme.
But the project has been shelved since Reform UK took control of the council following May’s local elections.
A petition launched by Penistone and Stocksbridge MP Marie Tidball had attracted 4,433 signatures at the time of writing.
It calls on the council to reverse its decision and argues that the Paramount, housed within the historic Penistone Town Hall, has been part of the community’s heritage for more than 110 years.
The redevelopment proposals included a second screening room with up to 50 seats including wheelchair spaces, alongside a cafe bar, box office, concession stand, commercial units and new accessible entrance.
A tender notice in February estimated the value of the work at £1.8m.
The Principal Towns programme was intended to spread investment across the borough’s six principal towns and ten major centres including Penistone, Wombwell, Hoyland, Goldthorpe and Royston.
Barnsley Labour group leader Councillor James Higginbottom said his party was “deeply concerned” by the proposals, claiming no details had been published about where the money would be invested instead.
He said: “Above all, there is no commitment to the people of Penistone that they will see continued regeneration investment in the town.
“There is irony in Reform coming to power on a pledge to invest across the borough, and then one of their first actions being to cut regeneration funding for one of our key principal towns.”
Ms Tidball said the Paramount is a ‘treasured community asset,’ and called on Barnsley Council to reverse their decision to shelve the project.
Reform councillors insist the decision does not amount to abandoning the cinema, and point to almost £850,000 already spent or allocated for essential work on the building.
Councillor William Brown, leader of Barnsley Council said: “Penistone Paramount plays an important role in our community, and that’s exactly why almost £850,000 has already been invested in essential works to protect the building and secure its future.
“The decision that has been made is not about withdrawing support from the Paramount. It’s about ensuring public money is used responsibly and delivers the greatest benefit for residents.
“There is a clear difference between investing in the preservation of a valued community asset and using taxpayers’ money to fund commercial development.
“We want to see Penistone Paramount continue to thrive, and we believe the best way to achieve that is by protecting the building, supporting its current use, and exploring opportunities that reduce the burden on local taxpayers while strengthening its future for generations to come.”