Arrest made after damage caused to Wakefield's old ABC cinema

A man was arrested after damage was caused to Wakefield's old ABC cinema.
The old ABC cinema closed down in the late 1990s and has not been used since.The old ABC cinema closed down in the late 1990s and has not been used since.
The old ABC cinema closed down in the late 1990s and has not been used since.

The cinema, which stands on the corner of Sun Lane and Kirkgate in the city centre, has been derelict for around 20 years.

Its emptiness has made it a magnet for vandalism over the years, and it has now been revealed that it was targeted again in an incident on August 6 this year.

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According to a report by Wakefield councillor Maureen Cummings, police reported a male "damaging the old cinema".

The venue, pictured in 2003.The venue, pictured in 2003.
The venue, pictured in 2003.

She added: "Operators picked up a male as he left the building and tracked him through town.

"Police arrested the dishevelled looking man near Waterstones on the precinct."

An application to convert the old cinema into a car park was submitted in January this year, but later withdrawn after opposition from groups including Wakefield Civic Society.

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Plans to build residential properties on the site have twice been approved, in 2007 and 2013 respectively, but neither scheme came to fruition.

The building's future remains unclear.

Local Democracy Reporting Service