Major renovation of Wellington Orbit cinema building could include dance studio and conference rooms

It is part of a £10 million investment in the Shropshire town, which also includes the redevelopment of a former YMCA building and investment in the town’s market.

Following The Clifton Community Arts Centre’s £450,000 purchase of the historic building at Station Road, the next step has been taken in the £1.4 million Orbit project.

Future uses could include a dance studio, offices and conference/meeting room spaces.

Under the plans the ground-floor cinema and café will remain generally unchanged. The only significant addition is a new platform lift to provide first and second floor access.

At first- and second-floor level the offices will also be retained.

The plan, backed by Telford & Wrekin Council and its investment arm, is set to see the replacement of all single glazed windows.

A second-floor extension, the replacement of an external fire escape stair and the rebuilding of an external wall are all also proposed.

And if the plan gets approved it could be complete in about a year.

A “true community and cultural hub” is on the cards. The Orbit already has a demand for use of the space but is not able to use its "dilapidated" first and second floors.

Planning documents submitted to the council say the “highest priority will be given to ensuring adjoining premises – and indeed the occupied ground floor areas – are not disturbed during the construction process".

Hughes O’Hanlon Architects, of Wrexham, has told the council that the site is in the Wellington Conservation Area, but the Orbit building is not listed.

The site has had numerous uses over the years, once housing a public house – the Talbot Inn. In 1863 the building was acquired by the Midland Banking Company. In 1901/1902 the building was altered, during which the now prominent clock tower was added.

In 1901 North and South Wales Bank moved into the building; indeed a moulding dated 1901 can still be seen at the top of the building.

In 1918 Midland Bank acquired the site, formed of the bank as well as other business premises including solicitors' offices upstairs and a vacant lock-up shop with a Station Road frontage.

The banking use of the building remained until final closure of the Wellington branch of HSBC in 2016.

The Orbit was brought back in to use by Clifton Community Arts Centre Ltd which opened the doors of a community cinema and café on May 11, 2019.

Funding for the Orbit portion of the project comes from a Government Levelling Up Fund grant of £9,807,453. The town’s market takes 78 per cent of it, the Orbit 13 per cent and other town centre changes nine per cent.

It also gained a total of £1,089,718 worth of match funding, bringing the total Wellington investment to £10,897,170.

It followed a £20m award for Telford, taking the total investment in the borough to just under £30m.