The Opportunity The ARC Centre 39 Weston Drive Caterham Surrey CR3 5XY
Cinema Development Opportunity: Freehold and Leasehold Proposals Considered
The ARC Caterham is a building of outstanding historical significance in what was originally the Caterham Barracks site and is now central to a prestigious new residential development close to Caterham town centre and local community amenities including numerous privately owned and run office and retail businesses and a Tesco Extra superstore. The property itself benefits from ample car parking facilities, Caterham Railway Station and the 541 bus which stops right outside the building.
Cinema Next Consulting have been instructed by the Board of The ARC to explore the potential of cinema and leisure complex development at the premises and contracted Burrell Foley Fischer LLP, Architects and Urban Designer with a specialism in the design of independent cinemas, to undertake a preliminary appraisal of the buildings.
At the time the appraisal was undertaken, the space available for development as an independent cinema, was limited to the undeveloped part of the Barracks building to the rear of the existing toilets, the intention at the time being that the existing soft play and workshops on the opposite side of the linear foyer would remain in use.
The brief at the time was for a low cost fit out of the undeveloped space, to provide two auditoria, suited to digital cinema exhibition, and providing the facility in the larger of the auditoria for small scale performance, such as comedy acts or amplified music.
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[email protected] Cinema Development Opportunity - continued
Attached sketches Option 1 and Option 2 illustrate the preliminary capacity study that was undertaken, in response to the available space and brief at the time. Option 1 illustrates two auditoria of 195 seats (+2 permanent wheelchair positions) and 109 seats (+2 permanent wheelchair positions), assuming the existing toilets remain.
It further illustrates how if they were to be relocated, for example through development at the end of the linear foyer, a further 3 rows (+51 seats) or 5 rows (+86 seats) could be provided across Screens 1 and 2, depending on whether part or all of the toilet provision is relocated.
Option 2 illustrates in addition the potential for creating additional café space to the end of the linear foyer.
As the entire building is now potentially available for redevelopment as an independent cinema with a café/bar, restaurant and other ancillary facilities, the number of screens and total seating capacity would be significantly greater.
The character and natural materials of the existing Barracks buildings offer an opportunity to create a distinctive cinema venue, while meeting the expectations of a modern cinema operator and cinema going audience.
[email protected] The Property The ARC Centre 39 Weston Drive Caterham Surrey CR3 5XY
Ideal Location
The property is uniquely positioned close to the main A22 Godstone Road artery linking junction 6 of the M25 with Redhill, Oxted and Godstone in a southerly direction and Purley, Coulsdon and Croydon heading north.
[email protected] Exterior Views The ARC Centre 39 Weston Drive Caterham Surrey CR3 5XY
Above: The main entrance to the building facing its own ample car parking facility. To the left of the building is the existing restaurant and bar area which features bi-fold doors and patio dining area.
Right: Facing west towards the prestigious Caterham Barracks residential development
[email protected] Interior Views The ARC Centre 39 Weston Drive Caterham Surrey CR3 5XY
Right: The existing bar/cafe/dining area benefiting from large dual aspect windows and bi-fold doors leading out to a paved patio space
Below: The stunning central gallery with atrium currently serving multiple uses from dining and exhibition space to pole and aerial fitness
[email protected] Interior Views The ARC Centre 39 Weston Drive Caterham Surrey CR3 5XY
Above and right: The existing ‘Phase 2’ of the building, once serving as a theatre for military personnel resident in the Caterham barracks. The lofty ceiling height makes the space ideal for a cinema conversion.
[email protected] Our Partner Stefane Fischer MA Dip Arch (Cantab) RIBA FRSA
Stefanie Fischer, a partner in Burrell Foley Fischer LLP and regular collaborator of Cinema Next, is an Architect with specialist knowledge of the design of facilities for film and media. She also has experience of working on historic buildings including projects for Institutional clients. She has worked on a wide range of residential and regeneration projects for private and public-sector clients. Community consultation is an important part of her work and she shares her expertise by participating at conferences, teaching, serving on advisory bodies and engaging with architectural education as an external examiner. She brings strong management skills to all projects.
Stefanie has provided consultancy services to the BFI and former UK Film Council and London Film and Development Agency and has worked on a range of projects from feasibility study stage to completed schemes.
Stefanie’s cinema and media projects have included Metro Cinemas (Metro Tartan); Renoir Cinema (Artificial Eye); Picture House, Exeter; the Rio, Dalston (Listed Grade II); Broadway, Nottingham’s Media Centre; Norwich Cinema City (Listed Grade I); the Cine Lumiere (Listed Grade II) at the Institut Francais in South Kensington; and the Scala Cinema and Arts Centre, Prestatyn.
Current projects include, The Depot, Lewes, a new three screen community cinema being created from a refurbished and extended former brewery depot building; The Newlyn Filmhouse, a new two screen independent cinema being created in a former fish store; The Picture House Campbeltown, the refurbishment of a (Listed Grade A) cinema together with a new build extension to provide a second screen.
[email protected] The ARC Centre - Ground Floor Plan - Option 1 The ARC Centre - Ground Floor Plan - Option 2 Cinema Projects Case Studies
Recent Projects
Over the following pages we have included examples of recent developments undertaken in the following areas:
Nottingham The Broadway Media Centre Prestatyn Scala Cinema and Arts Centre East London Stratford Picturehouse Southampton Harbour Lights Scotland Campbeltown Picture House Cornwall Newlyn Filmhouse Norwich Cinema City East London Rio Cinema, Dalston
[email protected] PROJECT CLIENT Broadway BBroadwayroadway, LOCATIONT Lacemarket Conservation Area, Nottingham’sNottingham’s Media Nottingham CONTRACT VVALALUE Centre £4m
Broadway was a phased development around a client in occupation of a building that started life as a Methodist Chapel and was converted into an Educational Cooperative BBuildinguilding in the 1950s. Faacilitiescilities provided in early pphaseshases of development include a nnewew cinema for film eexhibitionxhibition and conferences, a rrefurbishedefurbished 1950s auditorium for film exhibition, edit suites fforor film and video pproductionroduction and training, and bbroadcastroadcast-standard studio, a ccaféafé bar, front-of-house accommodation, administrative offices for Broadway and like-minded organisations, educational facilities, sseminareminar rooms, aandnd creative media start-up units.
The final pphasehase of the centre’s ddevelopmentevelopment provided two new screensscreens and a multi-media lab that allows Broadway to eexploitxploit the potential of ddigitaligital media. A glazed elevationelevation opens up the frontage to communicate more effectivelyeffectively Broadway’s eengagementngagement with film and media andand provides improved foyer, social and conferencing spaces.
The project waswas awarded the Lord Mayor of Nottingham’s Award for the best adaptation of an eexistingxisting building 1997, a RenovationRenovation in Aluminium Award in 22007007 and an Adapt Award 1998.
[email protected] PROJECT CLIENT Denbighshire Scala Cinema and County Council LOCATION Arts Centre Prestatyn COMPLETION DATE 2009 CONTRACT VALUE £2.6m
The Scala Cinema & Arts Centre project will help to allowing the café to open up to the street and to enjoy revitalise the town centre in Prestatyn and provides the south west facing aspect. A new glass canopy access once again to film on a site with strong local forms a contemporary counterpoint to the Victorian memories of cinema-going. It also provides access to façade. There is a high level of intervisibility through a new social and training facilities, exhibition spaces large glazed screen between the street and the within the foyers, meeting and training rooms and a entrance foyer which is designed to be welcoming and flexible multi-use auditorium suited not only to cinema accessible to all building users. exhibition but performing arts, dance and exercise The auditoria are set back behind the small-scale High classes, fairs and markets. Street frontage and are housed in a plain, red brick The integrity of the High Street frontage, which rectangular shed, topped by a lightweight metal clad contributes to the character of the conservation area, ‘roof box’ which houses the digital media suite. There is has been reinstated through restoration, and further adedicated150seatcinemaanda150seatmulti-use adapted to suit the building’s new use. The ornate red auditorium, both equipped with digital projectors. All brickwork arches, damaged by a 1960s panelled facilities within the building are accessible to all building façade installation, were reinstated, whilst the first floor users. The project gained the following awards - RICS cills to the large window openings were cut down to the Awards Wales 2010: Community Benefit Award, Civic floor level to better reveal the new upstairs café. The Trust Awards 2010: National Panel Recognition, CLAW café windows slide back fully behind new metal railings, Building of the Year Awards 2009: Commendation.
[email protected] PROJECT CLIENT Stratford Develop- Stratford Picture House ment Partnership LOCATION Stratford East, London COMPLETION DATE “While the rest of Britian goes crazy for the bland multiplex, east London is now 1997 home to two picture houses which are also architectural masterpieces” CONTRACT VALUE Independent - 5 October 1997 £3.1m
Anewlandmarkdevelopmentcentraltotheurban regeneration strategy for Stratford East, providing within the context of a new public square and cultural quarter, afour-screencinemawithexhibition,cafébarand restaurant facilities. The project was completed in 1997 and was an FPDC National Winner for Leisure in 1998.
[email protected] PROJECT CLIENT Southampton City Harbour Lights Council LOCATION Ocean Village, Southampton COMPLETION DATE 1995 CONTRACT VALUE £1.2m
AlandmarkbuildinglocatedintheformerP&Odocks, provides two auditoria for film and video exhibition and conferences, an exhibition space, a café bar and education facilities. The design celebrates the experience of cinema going, and being the antithesis of the black-box space, it provides a contrast to its multiplex rivals. The foyers, café bar and offices have an open aspect which fully exploit the centre’s dockside location. Harbour Lights is attributed with having had a leading influence on the design of a new generation of cinemas. The building was shortlisted for The Sunday Times/Royal Fine Art Commission Building of the Year Award 1995 and gained a Civic Trust Commendation 1997. The cinema is operated operated by by Picturehouse. City Screen Limited.
[email protected] PROJECT CLIENT Campbeltown The Picture House Community Business Ltd Campbeltown LOCATION Campbeltown,
Listed Grade A Scotland CONTRACT VALUE £2m
The refurbishment and redevelopment of the Picture Through our long association with many independent House, Campbeltown, on the West Coast of Scotland cinemas throughout the UK, BFF are very aware of the will secure the future of both a community owned and importance of these venues to their local communities run cinema and an important historic building. and we are delighted to be able to contribute to the
future of such an historically significant and much
The Picture House was established in 1913 and is the loved cinema. oldest purpose built cinema in Scotland still showing
films. The “Centenary Project” will breathe new life into its building, which is Listed Grade A. The unique The “Centenary Project” will breathe new life interior will be refurbished to bring it up to the standards i expected of a modern cinema going audience, whilst respecting the historic building in which it is housed.
Enhanced front of house facilities will be provided and the feasibility of a second cinema auditorium will be investigated.
BFF worked, with the cinema’s owners and operators, on an initial scheme design that contributed to a successful first stage bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Following a competitive process, we were appointed to lead the design work for the refurbishment project.
[email protected] PROJECT CLIENT Newlyn Filmhouse Ltd Newlyn Filmhouse LOCATION Newlyn, Cornwall
The Newlyn Filmhouse will provide a new two-screen openings. The Filmhouse will compliment and enhance cultural cinema with a café bar in a former fish store on the existing cultural and commercial enterprises in the the Coombe in Newlyn, Cornwall. Burrell Foley Fischer town, including the Newlyn Gallery and the Newlyn Art worked closely with the owners to find a suitable site in School. the area for their vision.
Externally the conversion will make use of existing large shuttered openings at ground and first floor level and retain the character and appearance of the building as a former light industrial building. The internal design of the screens will take inspiration from venue’s coastal location, whilst providing state-of-the-art digital projection facilities and comfortable seats.
The film programme will include a wide range of independent and world films, documentaries, archive films and cultural activities, including live streamed events such as plays, opera, dance and exhibition
[email protected] PROJECT CLIENT Norfolk and Norwich Norwich Cinema City Film Theatre Ltd Listed Grade I LOCATION Norwich COMPLETION DATE 2007 CONTRACT VALUE £2.35m
The re-modelling of Norwich Cinema City, the Regional Film Theatre for Norwich and Norfolk, has secured its future by developing it from a single-screen to a three- screen venue. The new screens are equipped with digital technology. The cinema occupies a converted medieval hall house that was extended in the 1920s by Boardman, a notable local architect, to create an assembly hall on the footprint of the garden to the house. This was converted into a single screen when Norwich Cinema City occupied the building in the 1970s. The challenge has been to The refurbished café bar and restaurant in the medieval provide three screens on the footprint of the single hall open out onto a courtyard which provides an oasis screen in a manner that respects the historic of calm in the city centre. The project was awarded the significance and setting of the medieval building. Best Disability Adaptation in the Local Authority Building Excavation has created space for the additional screens Control Awards 2008 and the Norwich Society “Sir below a main screen similar in size and capacity to the Bernard Fielden Award” 2009 for excellence in previous single screen. alterations and restoration of a historical building.
[email protected] PROJECT CLIENT Rio Cinema Rio Cinema LOCATION Dalston, London Listed Grade II COMPLETION DATE 1999 CONTRACT VALUE £650,000
The cinema was designed by George Coles of Adams and Coles in 1913 and altered by F.E. Bromige in the 1930s. At this time an Art Deco shell was created within the existing interior, reducing the size of the auditorium. While continuing to operate as a successful local cinema, by the 1990s the building was in need of a comprehensive overhaul. Burrell Foley Fischer LLP was appointed to refurbish the Rio Cinema following its involvement in the initial feasibility stage in 1994. The project progressed after the Arts Council of England Lottery Fund Award was granted in February 1998. The auditorium is provided with state of the art audio- visual technology and comfortable new stalls seating within the renovated and restored Art Deco shell. The box office and bar counters are designed to appear as modern insertions within the existing building fabric. Improved wheelchair access was implemented throughout with lift access to training and meeting room spaces at basement level. External and internal illuminated signage and neon strips accentuate the fluted features and vertical bands of the original façade giving the cinema a strong night presence.
[email protected] CINEMA NEXT 10 Argyll Street London W1F 7TQ
Contact: John Sullivan: +44 776 801 3702 James Fryer: +44 946 266 1160