Hoarding at arthouse cinema site to be removed next month

The hoarding around the site of the new arthouse cinema on Lower Merchants Road will be removed at the beginning of October.

The City Council had been told last May that the hoarding would be removed by the end of August.

However, Solas – the company behind the new three-screen cinema – said that the hoarding is scheduled for removal on October 4, and the road will then re-open to two lanes of traffic.

The road has been partially closed for more than three years because of a series of delays caused by construction problems, the original contractor going into receivership and financial difficulties.

Motorists and several city councillors have blamed the lane closure for regular delays along the Docks.

However, the Council’s Director of Services for Transportation and Infrastructure Ciarán Hayes has argued that the problem with traffic in the area is caused by the narrowness of Wolfe Tone Bridge, which creates a ‘pinch point’.

The three-screen cinema will have a total of 328 seats, with a minimum of 63 screenings per week. The building will also have a café, bar and film and bookshop. It is expected to open at the beginning of next year.