Former Criterion cinema in Gosport could be resurrected as it is named asset of community value

Gosport Borough Council has listed the former Criterion cinema on Forton Road in its register of Assets of Community Value (ACV).

The Criterion Cinema and Theatre opened on May 8 1912 before being taken over by the Shipman and King cinema circuit in the 1960s.

The venue then became a Crown Bingo hall in 1968 before finally closing its doors in 2020 due to the pandemic.

Councillor Julie Westerby nominated the building on behalf of the Gosport Liberal Democrats.

She said: ‘The death of cinema has been greatly exaggerated! Across all sorts and sizes of communities, studies have shown that audiences were found to love and value the shared screen experience.

‘This facility will engage with people in our community – a film society or live event brings them together as a community to share the magic of cinema or another cultural event.

‘What would be exciting is taking the building into its next phase and doing something ambitious and new with it and providing an important hub for the area.

‘If the building had events on most days and nights of the week, it would not only provide a centre for the local area to congregate in the day and evenings, but also bring people to the area.’

Terry Rhodes, chair of the Gosport Heritage Open Days added: ‘For over a century this building has served the people of Gosport by offering much-needed low-cost entertainment, social interaction and lots of fun and laughter.

‘Now, without a major cinema in the town - Gosport is poorly served in cultural activities.

‘We certainly support The Criterion building gaining the status of an ACV after all, being of community value has been its sole purpose for more than a 100 years.’

An ACV is a building or piece of land that has been used to further the social well-being or social interests of the local community including cultural, recreational and sporting interests.

Once registered, the ACV will remain on the list for five years, if the owner wishes to sell the asset during that time they must contact the council.

The nominating body can then choose to suspend the sale, giving them more time to gather funding and develop a bid.