News / KNowle West
Man stops squatting in old cinema building after just a few hours
A man has stopped squatting in an old cinema building set for demolition after just a few hours.
Nick Haskins entered the former Broadway Cinema on Monday morning, and vowed to stay there “as long as it takes”.
He was demanding a formal apology from Bristol City Council, after being told in a recent planning committee meeting that the building cannot be saved from demolition.
is needed now More than ever
But the 61-year-old voluntarily left the building on Filwood Broadway in Knowle West at around 6.15pm, saying he will return to it when the demolition begins.
Nick Haskins has stopped squatting in a historic former cinema after fighting to save the building from demolition – photo: Charlie Watts
Contractor Wring Group is currently clearing asbestos from the council-owned building, with the actual demolition due to begin in late February.
“There’s no point in me going in there and sitting in a building that ain’t going down yet,” explained Nick, whose grandfather helped build the cinema.
“When it really counts is when the bulldozers go in, because that will be costing them God knows how much.
“I’ve put the awareness out there that I’ve been in there and I will be back. I got the security sussed, I’ll be in there no problem.”
The cinema opened in 1938 but closed in the early 1990s after being converted to a bingo hall and has been derelict since then.
The local campaigner entered the building unnoticed on Monday morning – photo: Nick Haskins
Entering the building at 11am, Nick says his time inside “flew by” and that he was even able to leave and go back in at one point to buy a cake from the shop.
He added: “It wasn’t too cold, it was nice. I had a little walk around and went on the roof and had a lie down in the sun.”
He entered the building through a gate, which he says was wide open.
He says he also had interactions with police and a council worker during his time inside.
To Nick’s disappointment, the council approved plans to build 17 flats and 13 houses in place of the old cinema – photo: Bristol City Council
Nick walked out of a planning committee meeting on Wednesday, January 18 after being told plans to demolish the old cinema had already been approved in 2019.
At the same meeting, councillors approved plans to build 30 homes with some community and commercial space in place of the 85-year-old building.
Accepting the building’s fate is sealed, he then decided to squat in it, in the hope of receiving an apology from the council for not reconsidering demolition.
He also hoped squatting would lead to the council “taking seriously” his calls for the library on Filwood Broadway to not be relocated and for the former swimming pool site on the street to be turned into youth facilities rather than new homes.
But following Nick’s departure from the building, Bristol City Council said it would not be commenting on the matter.
Charlie Watts is reporting on Knowle West as part of Bristol24/7’s community reporter scheme, a pilot project which aims to tell stories from areas of Bristol traditionally under-served by the mainstream media
Main photo: Charlie Watts
Read next:
- Anger after plans to replace historic cinema with homes approved
- Demolition of former community centre begins ahead of redevelopment of site
- Rundown high street to receive £15m boost
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