Backing for assisted living complex at cinema site

The complex is proposed for the site of the Clifton Cinema, which was knocked down in 2023.

Plans to turn the site of a former cinema into an assisted living complex have been backed by a town council.

The Clifton Cinema in Wellington, Shropshire, which later became a shop, was knocked down in 2023 after lying empty for 11 years.

Morro Partnerships Limited wants to put a four-storey building on the site, consisting of 64 one and two-bedroom apartments for older people.

Although Wellington Town Council had some concerns about the plans, it acknowledged that developments like it brought people to the town and shops.

The cinema closed in 1989 and was used as a furniture store until Dunelm relocated to Telford town centre in 2012.

The proposed scheme, known as an extra care facility, has evolved, according to the planning statement, following concerns raised by the council about whether there was a need for such a complex in Wellington.

The majority of the provision earmarked for Bridge Road would be one-bedroom apartments, with a new internal road proposed to provide 25 car park spaces.

The development would also have a private landscaped courtyard.

Wellington Town Council is supporting the proposal for an extra care facility

Wellington Town Council’s planning committee recently discussed the plans.

Minutes from the meeting stated that concerns were expressed about the number of parking spaces, with members asking whether the density would offer a good quality of life for residents.

But it was acknowledged such developments brought people to the area, creating additional income, and members felt the entrance and egress for mobility scooters was suitable.

Telford and Wrekin District Council is currently considering the application.