Cinema gets approval to add second screen
Plans to add a second screen to Hamilton’s Speciality Cinema and Grill have been approved by the Planning Department.The application proposes to turn the former home of Mailboxes Unlimited on Church Street into a 55-seat cinema.The cinema would have a smaller screen and fewer seats than the existing cinema.The application, which was submitted in February, noted that two screens would allow a larger variety of films and additional screenings of blockbusters.The proposal saw several minor changes during the Planning process after elements in the original design received some criticism.One particular area of concern was the bathrooms. The facility already has sufficient toilets for men but the plan fell short of what would be required for females.The plan has since been revised to change an existing cleaners’ closet into an additional bathroom stall. Revisions also included the instillation of fire-rated shutter doors for the second theatre.The application was approved on April 20.