Housing plans at former Ringwood cinema set for public display

Architecture and town planning service Evans & Traves will hold a meeting to inform the public of developments for the former Regal Cinema building in Ringwood – which has stood empty for around 15 years.

Despite no formal applications being made, planners have now said that the project would stretch beyond the former cinema, which has a protected front, and would encompass some surrounding areas – 1-7 Meeting House Lane, 11-13 Meeting House Lane and a current car wash site.

Drawing of the plans for the Ringwood Regal site

Chartered town planner Carol Evans said: “We recognise the historic significance that 2 Market Place has in the town. Over the years, the building has been unsympathetically extended and repurposed for other uses such as a picture house, cinema, bingo hall, shopping centre, squash courts and a nightclub, before closing its doors and being left to deteriorate. A building of many faces.

“The building is a shadow of its former self. By using historic photographs as a design lead, we are looking to remove those ugly extensions to the building and bring back its original grandeur.

“At ground and first floor, 292sqm of floorspace will be created for lease/rent. We recognise that town centres, post-pandemic, are changing so creating interesting and flexible spaces and uses will be key to developing and maintaining the vibrancy and viability of the building and Market Place.”

The overall development site

Behind the 19th century building is the site of a hand car wash.

Ms Evans continued: “The proposal here is to create a peaceful residential courtyard with a mixture of flats and houses.

“At the entrance to the car wash site, we are proposing a new commercial building to activate this frontage. We are also proposing to refurbish the pair of former semi-detached houses and return these to their original form.”

For 1-7 Meeting House Lane, plans show refurbishment and remodelling of the building to improve its appearance and reinvigorate the ground floor commercial offering with flats above.

Ms Evans concluded: “These parcels of land have long had a negative visual impact on Ringwood town centre. To have Brownseabuild be prepared to come forward and take the task on, I think, is not to be underestimated.

“We have reached a point in our discussions with New Forest District Council whereby we wish to hear the views of the local community on how the scheme is developing so far.”

An exhibition of the plans will be hosted at Ringwood Town Council offices on Wednesday September 8 from 10am-4pm and Thursday 9 from 12pm-6pm.