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Castle Street
Dover
Open as the "Granada" on 8th January 1930, the building was advertised as
"The New Dover Luxury Theatre."
Above photo taken from the Dover Express, 10 January 1930.
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From the Dover Express, 5 December 2002. By Terry Sutton.
Pros and cons of opening longer.
MOVES to brighten up Dover's night time economy will be detailed to
district councillors next Wednesday.
They will also hear about fears of
early morning disturbances in the town centre.
The pub chain Wetherspoons will be revealing plans to convert the former Snoops
nightclub in Castle Street with later hours while Ray Gilham of "Bar Elle"
- formerly the "Elephant and Hind" - in the Market Square seeks to remain
open three hours longer, until 2am, on Saturday and Sunday mornings.
At
the same time Jimmy Gleeson will be requesting a renewal of his licence
for the Nu-Age nightclub off York Street, not far from the Market
Square. Inspection reports show he frequently has 400 people on the
premises.
All this activity is worrying people living in the Market
Square. Ten residents of Dolphin House there have written objecting to
the later hours. Madeleine Millar reckons she and her neighbours
'already suffer enough' noise from two local pubs.
"If the "Bar Elle"
application is successful, it appears we can expect crowds outside
their building until
two o'clock in the morning on some nights. It will mean more noise, more
drunks and more litter," she said.
The Snoops nightclub licence is
currently issued to David Chalk, but the centre is being taken over by Wetherspoons, which is expected to rename the premises Lloyds Number One
and to convert it into a cafe and bar.
Wetherspoons' area manager Marie
Pinson seeks a full justices
licence for music and dancing from 10am to 2am next day, from Monday to
Saturday, the same hours on Sunday before Bank Holidays and on a normal
Sunday from 10am to 12.30am the next day. The company already runs the
"Eight Bells" public house not far away, in the old Metropole Hotel
opposite St Mary's Church in Cannon Street.
The issue will be
debated in public by the district council's licensing sub-committee on
Wednesday.
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From the Dover Express 19 December 2002.
WORK is scheduled to start next month on converting the former Granada
Cinema and night club in Dover into the town's new entertainment centre.
David Chalk's Snoops nightclub has been bought by national chain
Wetherspoon, which spent £650,000 creating the Eight Bells in Cannon Street.
Wetherspoon expects the new venture to be open in May. Renamed "Lloyds
Number One", the Castle Street centre, once called Images, will be partially
demolished to make way for a beer garden at the back.
Wetherspoon representatives detailed the planned changes to Dover
district councillors who were sitting as the licensing subcommittee, chaired
by Keith Sansum.
Marie Pinson, Wetherspoon's senior personnel manager for the area, said
the company had 41 similar Lloyds Number One operations in the UK.
Several had beer gardens, she said. Unlike in the "Eight Bells" there
would be piped music that would reflect the mood and the time of the day.
There would be a small dedicated wooden dance floor and many of the
features of the original cinema would be retained.
During the daytime centre would be a cafe-bar with restaurant and there
would be dancing in the evenings.
A meeting had been held with neighbourings, said Mrs Pinson, about how
sound-proofing would be carried out. Managers, she said, would be able to
decrease the volume of the piped music but not increase it, and the music
strength could be zoned for different areas.
Food would be available from 10am to one hour before closing time.
Hours granted by the committee were: Mondays to Saturdays 10.30am to
1.45am the next day; Sundays 10.30am to 10.30pm; Sundays before a bank
holiday noon to 12.30 am the next day. The beer garden is to be cleared by
11pm.
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From the Dover Mercury 17 July 2003.
Pub plans shelved.
THE former nightclub in Castle Street is not now expected to open as a
Wetherspoon’s pub.
The company had drawn up plans and made a licensing application to turn
the former Snoops nightclub into a traditional ale, wine and food house
with tea garden.
It was to have been known as Lloyds Number One, and the plans included
demolishing part of the rear of the building to form a beer garden.
The building used to be called
Images and before that was the ABC cinema.
Some work has taken place at the building in recent weeks, but that has
now stopped.
A spokesman for JD Wetherspoon said that “enabling work” had been
carried out, but he was unable to comment on the future plans for the
building.
However, the Mercury understands that the company is likely to sell it
on to another operator.
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From the Dover Express 4 January 2007. Report by Laura Smith
Wetherspoons plans to raze derelict club
A DERELICT nightclub in Castle Street could be completely demolished
this summer to make way for a new multi-million pound drinking spot, the
Express can reveal.
The former Snoops building was bought by pub giant
J D Wetherspoons in early 2003, which said it wanted to modernise and
refurbish the building.
But in February 2005 with no sign of the work
starting, the chain admitted the plans had collapsed and put the site up
for sale.
But in a final twist last September the Express reported that
it had been taken off the market, with the redevelopment plans back on
track.
The company is now going through the planning process to get
permission to knock the building down.
If granted, it is hoped work will
start in June, with the new venue opening late this year or early next.
A spokesman for Wetherspoons said: "It's nothing against the existing
building, but we felt we would get a better end product working from a
new site rather than the existing one.
It is expected the project will cost around £1.5 million to complete
and, when finished, has the potential to create more than 50 jobs.
The chain, which has venues nationwide, had previously attracted criticism
over its upkeep of the building, which ran first as a Granada and then
an ABC cinema until 1982.
Dover District Council even threatened
enforcement action after members branded the site an "abominable
eyesore" and raised concerns about the integrity of the structure.
Castle ward member Nigel Collor had toured the site with company
representatives to assess its condition.
He said: "The building was
splendid in its day, but through years of decay and lack of maintenance
it is now in a dreadful state. Any development of the site by Wetherspoons is most welcome."
The new venue will eventually back on to
the Dover Town Investment Zone, the St James' retail development.
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From the Dover Mercury 4 January 2007.
DEMOLITION: Pub chain plans to replace derelict nightclub
Wetherspoon calls time on town eyesore
By Mary Graham
A NATIONAL pub chain has announced plans to pull down the derelict
building that used to be Snoops nightclub.
Described by many people as
the eyesore of Castle Street, pub chain J D Wetherspoon, which owns the
building, wants to build a new pub.
The company has owned the building
for five years and has submitted formal plans for the demolition.
Company spokesman Eddie Gershon said the new pub would have a modern
design and would be built in keeping with the nearby Dover Town
Investment Zone development (DTIZ), which would back on to the land
surrounding the pub.
Mr Gershon added: "The company is mindful of the
fact that the site nearby is going to be developed into a supermarket
and row of shops, so the pub is going to be designed to fit in with
that.
"Part of the pub will overlook the new development, so it will be sympathetic
to the area."
If J D Wetherspoon get permission for the
demolition, it expects work to start on the new pub in June and hopes it
will be open by the end of the
year. The development will be worth about £1.3m.
Kent County Council has
issued a traffic order closing Dolphin Passage, which runs alongside the
building, from February 6 for 14 weeks. The notice states it is due to a
demolition.
Wetherspoon has announced several plans for the former
nightclub, none of which came to fruition.
In 2002 it announced it would
be reopening as a family pub under the name Lloyds No 1, but building
work was suddenly stopped.
Last year a plan to sell the site was
announced but this has now been dropped in favour of the demolition and
rebuilding.
BACKGROUND
THE former Snoops nightclub building was built on the site of a former
brewery barrel storage area.
It later became the ABC cinema, specialising in variety shows with many
big names, performing there, including
Cliff Richard, Helen Shapiro,
Tommy Trinder and Mike and Bernie Winters.
As television and radio took over from cinemas, the
building became a nightclub, with the name changing from Images to
Snoops.
As building work ground to a halt, residents initiated a campaign,
involving e-mailing J D Wetherspoon asking it to do something about
the site.
The district council also arranged several meetings with surveyors,
concerned about falling masonry.
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From the Dover Express, 17 May 2007. By Laura Smith.
New plans submitted to transform 'eyesore'
ONE of Dover's biggest eyesores could be transformed into a new pub and
13 flats under new plans submitted to the district council. The
proposals for the former Snoops nightclub building in Castle Street form
the latest part in a four-year saga over the site.
Pub giant J D
Wetherspoons, which also owns the "Eight Bells" in Cannon Street, bought
the building in early 2003 with the intention of refurbishing it.
But in February 2005 with no sign of the work starting, the chain
admitted the plans had collapsed and put the site up for sale.
Then in
September last year the firm unexpectedly took the site off the market,
with
its redevelopment plans back on track.
It is expected the project will cost around £1.5 million to complete and, when finished, has the
potential to create more than 50 jobs.
The original plans called for the
building to be demolished in its entirety. This idea has now been
scrapped and the facade fronting onto Castle Street retained and used as
the base for the pub.
It would be joined by a new four-storey extension,
which would have six flats on the second and third floors and a 119sq-m
penthouse on the fourth.
Wetherspoons, which has venues nationwide, had
previously attracted criticism
over its upkeep of the building, which was run first as a Granada and
then an ABC cinema until 1982.
Dover District Council even threatened
enforcement action after members branded the site an "abominable
eyesore" and raised concerns about the integrity of the structure.
Castle ward member Nigel Collor toured the site with company
representatives to assess its condition.
He said: "The building was
splendid in its day but through years of decay and lack of maintenance
it is now in a dreadful state."
The new venue would eventually back onto
the Dover Town Investment Zone, the £50 million scheme which will
contain a giant Asda supermarket, six other shops, a 100-bed hotel and
53 flats.
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From the Dover Mercury, 17 May 2007.
The formers Snoops nightclub in Dover. Picture: Terry Scott pd1205476
Pub chain has plans for Snoops.
FIVE years after it closed, plans have been submitted to the district
council for the re-development of the former Snoops nightclub in Castle
Street.
J D Wetherspoon want to turn it into a new pub on the ground
floor with 13 apartments on the top three floors.
Much of the rear part
of the building, which formed the auditorium, is to be demolished,
although the facade will be kept. The pub would open up onto a new
landscaped area alongside the River Dour.
"The new outlet will introduce
some much needed life and vitality into the area
which is characterised by the redundant and decaying buildings of the St
James's site," said design consultant John Shemming.
"The existing
building is in very poor condition and demolition of the complete
building has been considered.
Impressive
"The historic facade on Castle Street is an established part
of the existing street scene and whilst major refurbishment is required,
including reinstatement of some of the original features, there would be
merit in retaining this landmark building.
"The entrance foyer retains
the original marble floor,
marble-clad grand staircase and some decorative balustrading.
"This
double height space would have been the most impressive part of the
original building and, if funds allow, consideration should be given to
refurbishment."
The original auditorium is now said to be little more
than a shell, stripped of nearly all the original features, and will be
demolished, if permission is given.
The new pub building will be four
storeys high, with a double-height pub, six one and two-bedroom flats on
each of the second and third floors, and a penthouse apartment on the
fourth floor.
WHAT LIES BENEATH ARCHAEOLOGIST
Keith Parfitt says the site is important
for the study of the Roman haven, but that any Roman remains could be
buried more than four metres deep.
Mr Parfitt, who discovered the bronze-age boat at nearby Bench Street
some 15 years ago, has carried out an investigation into the site of the
former cinema and says the redevelopment would allow access to a
significant part of the lower town.
Samples taken from boreholes could provide more information about the
history of the area.
He is recommending that archaeologists be involved in the programme of
demolition and engineering investigations.
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From the Dover Express, 23 August 2007.
Workmen on derelict site.
WORKMEN have finally moved onto the site of a .derelict nightclub in
Dover that has been branded an "abominable eyesore".
The former Snoops
building in Castle Street was bought by pub giant J D Wetherspoon in
early 2003. The firm said it wanted to demolish the building and
construct a new £ 1.5 million Lloyds bar on the site.
It is understood
the company has withdrawn a planning application to have it torn down,
and on Monday scaffolders moved onto the site.
As the Express went to
press, Wetherspoon was unavailable to comment on the nature of the work
being carried out at the site.
The chain, which has venues nationwide,
had previously attracted criticism over its upkeep of
the building, which ran first as a Granada and then as an ABC cinema
until 1982.
Dover District Council even threatened enforcement action
after members branded the site an "abominable eyesore" and raised
concerns about the integrity of the structure.
Castle ward member Nigel Collor said the company had not discussed its latest plans with the
council.
He said: "I understand this is work on the front facade, and
my, does it need it.
"They've removed some of the greenery but have not
told the council what their intentions are."
The building backs on to
the site of the Dover Town Investment Zone, the St James' development
containing an Asda and other retail units.
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From the Dover Express, Thursday, 22 May, 2008.
Eyesore: Will the former cinema finally be developed?
When are they going to open?
Report by Rhys Griffiths.
A YEAR after plans to transform the former Snoops nightclub in Dover
were submitted, owner JD Wetherspoon has been urged to get to work or
put the landmark up for sale.
The Castle Street building has become one
of Dover's biggest eyesores but it looked like that was about to change
when the pub giant's plans for the site were made public in May 2007.
The firm's vision for the derelict building, which was formerly the
Granada cinema, included a pub and 13 flats. But the plans submitted to
Dover District Council were later withdrawn.
No visible progress in the Iong-running saga has been made since.
Now, a year on from the plans
being submitted, Castle ward representative Cllr Nigel Collor has called
on the pub firm, which also owns the Eight Bells in Cannon Street, to
act.
He said: "It is an eyesore. I would like to see something done to
the building very soon.
"I am disappointed a company with the reputation
of JD Wetherspoon have not proceeded quicker, I would urge them to do
so.
"If they are not going to do something with it why don't they
put it on the market so someone else can come in and redevelop it?"
The
company told the Express it is still keen to carry out the plans for
the former cinema, but there are still negotiations continuing.
A JD
Wethcrspoon spokesman said: "We are still keen to build a new pub on
the site of the existing nightclub, with residential flats above.
"Before building work can start, the existing site would need to be
demolished and Wetherspoon is in discussion with the council on this
matter."
Timeline
2003: The site was bought by the pub giant with a view to refurbishing
it
February 2005: Plans had fallen through and the site was up for sale
September 2006: Property off the market, plans back on track
April 2007:
Planning application lodged with to Dover District Council
July 2007:
Application withdrawn.
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From the Dover Express, 15 May, 2014. Exclusive by Phil Hayes.
After 11 years empty, Snoops site is sold.
JD Wetherspoon gives up on property it never used.
JD WETHERSPOON has finally sold the former "Snoops" nightclub building in
Castle Street, the Express can reveal.
A company called Dover Heritage and Regeneration, based in Hertfordshire,
has purchased the empty lot. It is unknown what the firm intends to do
with the largest building in central Dover, which was on the market for
around £150,000.
But Dover District Council leader Paul Watkins said: “It’s encouraging to
see the building being purchased by a new owner.
“One hopes that they will do a major repair on the building and bring it
back into use.”
Criticised.
Wetherspoon, which bought the property 11 years ago, had been criticised
for letting it fall into a state of disrepair.
In January, the pub chain was issued with a legal demand from DDC, under
section 215 of the Town and Country Planning Act, to smarten up the
building.
Now Dovorians will hope the site can be returned to its former glory. The
building was home to the UK’s first “super cinema” in 1931, before being
converted into a nightclub in 1982 - first called "Images" and then
"Snoops."
A spokesman for the Dover Society, which has campaigned for the building
to be renovated, said the sale gives some hope for “this once grand
property”.
He added: “We wait and see what happens next. There are various
opportunities. Demolition could leave an ugly scar but, properly
landscaped, the site could become an attractive feature. A costly upgrade
could provide a useful centre for the community.”
NO COMMENT FROM DHR.
Dover Heritage and Regeneration (DHR) is based 105 miles away at a
Ipcation called The Studio in Elstree, according to Companies House.
But around 200 other firms -including Cristiano Ronaldo Ltd, Pet Adventure
Land Ltd and Hulk Ltd - are also based at this address.
The business was incorporated in June 2012 and was called “Star Park
Management (Hinckley) Ltd” up until March 25, when it changed its name to
DHR.
On the Companies House website, the business is described as "other
business support service activities not elsewhere classified”.
The Express contacted DHR several times last week but the firm was
unavailable for comment.
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From the Dover Express, 16 January, 2014.
Pubco is ordered to smarten building.
WETHERSPOON’S has been told to smarten up the former Granada cinema in
Castle Street, which it owns, or action will be taken.
The legal demand has come from Dover District Council under section 215 of
the Town and Country Planning Act.
The firm has until January 23 to respond.
The former cinema now has vegetation growing on its roof and peeling
paint.
HANGING GARDENS OF DOLPHIN PASSAGE: The building’s dirty rear.
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LICENSEE LIST
Never opened.
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