Littlehampton cinema to stay closed until 2024 after fire

The Windmill Entertainment centre is well-loved in Littlehampton

An historic cinema in Littlehampton will remain closed for the rest of the year after the Harvester restaurant next door burnt down.

The Windmill "is not in any way ready to receive visitors at present", said Arun District Council.

The cinema had hoped to partially reopen but the council said this would not be possible.

Christmas would be "a difficult time", said Karl Roberts, the centre's director of growth and interim CEO.

The Harvester Restaurant burnt down in August and firefighters prioritised saving the Windmill cinema - a Grade II listed building.

At the time, the cinema said it hoped to open after just a few days.

But Arun District Council said on its website: "We will not see the centre opening before the new year when we will be in a better position to provide an update on timeframes."

The entertainment centre - owned by Freedom Leisure - is also home to a theatre, meaning shows including the annual pantomime would have to be rescheduled, relocated or cancelled.

Mr Roberts said this was "disappointing" but public safety had to be taken into account.

The Windmill director Kevin Orman said the cinema had taken a huge financial hit from the halting of day-to-day business and missing big blockbusters like Barbie.

"It's going to be quite difficult to make up that ground," he said.

The council said asbestos had to be removed and there were reports of mould in the building.

Although the building did not appear "too bad on the outside", on the inside there was "quite a lot of structural damage", said Mr Roberts.

This was due to masonry from the nearby harvester falling on the roof, he added.

"It is our priority to move forward and get the place open as soon as possible", said Mr Roberts.