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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-04-08 Daily Xml
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CHELSEA CINEMA

The Hon. J.A. DARLEY (15:49): I rise today to speak about the Chelsea Cinema. As many would know, there has been recent community outcry regarding the proposed sale of the Chelsea Cinema. This issue came to my attention by chance when I attended a Burnside council meeting, when a representative of the Save the Chelsea Cinema Action Group rose to speak about the importance and significance of this historic building. I rise today, hopefully, to mirror their passion and raise awareness of this issue to a broader audience.

The Chelsea Cinema was originally built in 1925 and is South Australia's oldest purpose-built cinema, which is still operating as a cinema today. In 1941, it was refurbished to its current art deco appearance and it began operation as a modern cinema in 1955. The cinema was saved from demolition in 1964, when it was purchased by the Burnside council, and it has been operated by Wallis Cinemas for nearly 40 years since it took over the lease in 1971.

The cinema stands as a rare example of an operating picture theatre surviving from the silent film period, with the interior and exterior of the cinema added to the heritage list in 1983. The Chelsea is still an integral part of the community today, with over 150 groups utilising the unique space for fundraising events as well as its renowned school holiday schedule for vacation care programs in schools. With such strong ties to the community, many people were outraged by Burnside council's recent economic rationalist approach to sell the cinema.

Whilst the building and interior would be retained, it would be a great loss to see this site used as anything other than a cinema. The character and charm of the site would be lost or, at least, greatly diminished should it be used as offices or retail space. The location of the site is not suited for commercial development and, given the current economic crisis, should the site be offered for sale for use other than as a cinema I doubt whether there would be much interest.

Public interest in the Chelsea Cinema has been so strong that there are currently over 3,000 members in the Save the Chelsea Cinema Facebook group. However, I understand that the council only circularised residents living within a 500 metre radius of the cinema. This limited consultation has exacerbated community outrage at the prospect of having the cinema sold purely for financial gain.

Following the increased interest in the community, Burnside council decided to pass a motion to engage in a level 4 community consultation process, which involves two further public meetings. I am pleased that the council has decided to engage in a more consultative process. However, I believe that this should have been the method used from the start.

Although currently operating, the cinema is in a state of disrepair and requires moderate refurbishment for restoration. The most favourable outcome would be to conduct these restorations in conjunction with the development of the site, which would involve expanding the complex to include adjoining properties to establish a viable multi-screen cinema complex. I understand that the council already owns the adjoining properties.

This development could be completed for less than $10 million. It would not be unreasonable for Burnside council to explore a number of funding options, which may include the state government, Wallis Cinemas and other interested parties. Additional screens could see the site developed into an entertainment complex and solve many problems that Wallis Cinemas currently faces associated with single screen cinemas. These include the restricted distribution of films from suppliers due to the limited number of showings a single cinema can have and uneconomical staff arrangements.

This development would not only restore the Chelsea Cinema and retain its heritage character but it would also assist the cinema to run as a viable economic asset as well as ensuring that the theatre will remain as is for many years to come.

Time expired.

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