[16
NOV 00] CWN COMMENT
Phoenix Decision Should Be Final
The
time it is taking to get the final decision over the Phoenix
Initiative makes the American election look like a legal doddle.
But
instead of two political parties we have a bingo company lining up
against the government and Coventry City Council.
The
people who have made the effort to campaign in favour of keeping the
Hippodrome should also be remembered.
Whatever
view is taken of the Millennium Place development, people who bother
to show and interest and campaign should be congratulated.
There
is a lot to be said in favour of keeping the old Coventry Theatre.
An old Art Deco building, there is nothing obviously wrong with it
that a lick of paint couldn’t sort out.
It
is steeped in history, and is popular as a bingo hall. Should the
bingo leave, surely some
use could be found for it – perhaps the creative arts centre that
was once planned for Bond Street.
Saying
that there is the risk of living in the past too much. The building
does not meet modern standards compared to new entertainment venues,
and it would cost a fortune to get up to scratch.
The
idea of turning it back into a theatre is highly impractical. There
is a reasonably successful theatre a few hundred metres away, but
even that doesn’t sell out for every performance, and the old
theatre declined because Coventry people didn’t support it.
The
arguments are largely over now, except in court. But like the
American presidency, everyone should respect the outcome of the
legal wrangles, respect each others’ views, and accept the
decision when it is reached.
SEE:
[16 NOV 00]: WATERMAN
NOSTALGIC ABOUT COVENTRY THEATRE
SEE: [15
NOV 00] LAWYERS
TAKE PHOENIX INITIATIVE TO COURT RECOUNT |
