Castleford’s historic former Picture House to be turned into luxury apartments

The £2.2m project will transform the old Picture House building into 25 high-end flats and three commercial properties. The historic building on Station Road has been empty and in a neglected state since it was the target of a suspected arson attack almost five years ago. Developers Jordan Buchan and Natalie Hulse submitted plans to Wakefield Council in August this year to build rental properties on the site.

The new building will contain a gym, cinema room and an office hub. The ground floor will also house the offices of the estate agent who will manage the tenants. The developers also hope to attract a coffee chain to move into the complex and have approached Starbucks and Costa. The scheme was approved by officers this week.

A report states: “The proposed development is considered to be acceptable in principle in that it would bring commercial floor space within the primary retail area of Castleford and also bring a mixed tenure of residential apartments to the town centre within a sustainable area close to public transport hubs.”

Mr Buchan said: “Castleford is undergoing a period of regeneration and we want to be a part of this by bringing back to life this historic and prominent building in the town centre. It is a very exciting project us and we want to make it as eco-friendly as possible. The building will be fitted with solar panel and there will be charging points for all residents.”

The Picture House, which opened in 1921, was a luxury cinema and theatre for more than four decades. Crowds lined the street outside the building when The Princess Royal – Princess Mary – visited Castleford in 1955, for the Charter Day ceremony, making the area officially a borough. The cinema, which seated up to 1,200 people and also had a ballroom and stage facilities, was decorated with flowers and bunting for the occasion.

Following its closure in 1964, the building was run as a restaurant, bingo hall, café bar, pub and nightclub. But a blaze in January 2017 left much of its exterior, furniture and fittings gutted. Mr Buchan bought the building at auction earlier this year.

Discussing the plan at the time, he said: “We plan to restore the building as much as possible and get a lot of the original features back. A lot of work needs to be done. There was a big hole in the roof and pigeons were roosting inside. It was pretty smashed up inside. It has been causing problems for the police and fire brigade but we have secured the building. We want to start letting 18 months after the work starts.”

In October, the council approved a multi-million pound scheme which is designed to transform the town centre over the next two decades. Cabinet members approved the Strategic Regeneration Framework (SRF) document, which is a guide on how Castleford can attract visitors, investment and benefit residents.

The SRF has received almost £24m of Government funding.