Gladstone Cinema owners the Struik family have signed a new 10-year lease at Dawson Road site

After stepping away from major development plans, Gladstone Cinemas has signed a landmark deal securing its future in the city. Full details here.

Gladstone Cinemas’ plans to relocate to the Yaralla Sports Club site as part of a major development have been shelved, with the entertainment business signing a deal to stay put for the next decade.

The Struik family, long-term owners and managers of the sole operating cinema in the region, revealed they had recently signed a new 10-year lease at their Dawson Road complex.

“It is with excitement that we announce the signing of an additional 10 year lease at our current Dawson Road – Gladstone Central Shopping Centre location,” the family said.

Gladstone Cinemas manager Melissa Struik.

“We have committed our support to centre owners, Alceon PL, and are proud to announce an encompassing refurbishment, renewal and repurposing of existing facilities as part of the newly signed lease.”

The Struik family said they had initially supported the building of a new site at Yaralla Sports Club, but Covid-19 put a stop to that.

“The pandemic continues to amount to catastrophic consequences for the cinema industry as a whole, and Gladstone Cinemas’ position has changed as a result,” they said.

Plans to relocate Gladstone Cinemas to the Yaralla Sports Club site were originally floated in September 2019, with Cinema manager Melissa Struik talking up the concept’s potential.

“We're pretty sure people will be awe-struck by the world standard experience we intend to deliver from the moment they enter the new building through to the end credits,” Ms Struik told The Observer in 2019.

The original plans for the cinema were submitted in September 2019 and given the green light by the council in February 2020.

However it appeared the chance for the new facility had been quashed when the landlords of the existing cinema took the matter to court and appealed the development.

In late 2020, a new development application for a material change of use and short-term accommodation variation request was lodged with the council earlier by Yaralla Sports Club.

At the time Yaralla Sports Club CEO Will Schroder said the new proposal was essentially the same as the previous one and would still include two Gold Room lounges, six standard cinemas, a games room, candy bar and outdoor seating, working in conjunction with Gladstone Cinemas.

In June this year, that application was approved. All councillors voted in favour of approving the new cinema development.

But the council also voted to reject a proposal for a variation request to increase accommodation at Yaralla.

The future of the development remains unclear.

The Struik family gave their heartfelt thanks and gratitude to Mr Schroeder and the executive board of Yaralla Sports Club, along with GRC for their unwavering support.

“We look forward to bringing you the best in big screen entertainment for many years to come and thank you for supporting cinema.”

Yaralla Sports Club’s Mr Schroeder declined to comment.