No Oscar for cinema design (From Stroud News and Journal)

No Oscar for cinema design

STROUD'S new cinema is going to look like Battlestar Galactica according to one town councillor.

Plans for the new complex were on show at the first meeting of the newly-elected Stroud Town Council on Monday night but councillors were distinctly unimpressed.

Though their recommendation to the district council on whether to pass the plans or not will not be made until after a meeting held today, Wednesday, it is hard to see how they will give the building their stamp of approval following Monday's tirade.

Cllr Chas Townley called it a 'truly awful' design that would result in 'cheap and nasty rubbish' for the town.

"This makes the multi-storey car park look attractive," he said. His wife, Cllr Linda Townley, went further saying: "I said before it looked like an armadillo - I've changed my mind, it looks like a reject from Battlestar Galactica."

The building, which, if given the go ahead, will tower over the current Merrywalks shopping precinct, will be a modern design, with zinc cladding above a reconstituted Cotswold stone, plastic and glass base.

Architect Patrick Franks said: "Aesthetically we've chosen materials to blend in with what you see as the colours of Stroud.

"We don't want this building to be a stand out 'look at me' development." He said the zinc had been chosen for its durability and would look better as it weathered and built up a patina.

"It's not one of those materials that looks tatty after a few years," he said. But most of Stroud's councillors did not agree with Mr Frank's assessment.

Cllr Ivi Szaboova-Baxendale said the building looked like a sarcophagus while Cllr Shelagh Hume said it looked like a German gun emplacement from the Second World War that would turn Merrywalks into a 'dismal canyon'.

Cllr Graham Wickens said: "All it needs is a couple of 20ins guns and you've got yourself a battleship."

Cllr Charlie Burling called it a 'dreadful, monolithic building' and claimed the inclusion of Cotswold stone in the modern design was almost surreal. Along with the criticism were suggestions of how the design could be improved.

Cllr Adrian Lawton said the architect should look at using recycled materials and integrated solar panels to reflect Stroud's reputation for Green thinking while Cllr Kevin Cranston pointed out that there were many world-class examples of architecture based on metal designs.

He said the design would be greatly improved if something was done to break up the stark outline of the roof.

Cllr David Michael said with a development of such importance it would be useful to have an architect's model that put the building into the context of its surroundings.

The town council's objections are unlikely to be more than a hiccup in the planning process.

The final decision will be made by Stroud District Council's development control committee, which is expected to consider the cinema proposals at its next meeting on Tuesday, June 10.

While the decision will be made in accordance with planning regulations the district council has repeatedly stated its enthusiasm for a cinema on the site.