Sport at ABC not proving as easy as 123...
Aug 19 2005
By Nick Coligan, Liverpool Echo
LIVERPOOL FC star Jamie Carragher's plans to turn a derelict cinema into a sports bar could be scuppered by Capital of Culture.
Developers behind the £4m proposal fear the former ABC cinema in Lime Street is being earmarked as a venue for the 2008 celebrations.
The consortium behind the project, which includes Reds defender Carragher, is now calling on Liverpool council to reveal its plans for the iconic art-deco building.
They say they do not want to spend any more cash on the scheme if the ABC will not become available for refurbishment.
Developer City Life Projects wants to transform the building into Cafe Sports England, a bar and restaurant themed around sporting success stories.
But it has yet to submit a formal planning application or enter talks with the council and the building's owners, government regeneration body English Partnerships.
A spokesman for City Life Projects said: "For too long, this iconic building has lain empty, but using it as a Capital of Culture venue could be similar to the Millennium Dome, used for one year and then abandoned.
"Our plans are more long-term and would see the restoration of the ABC, creating jobs in time for 2008 and beyond.
"Our proposals will bring back to life a building that was part of Liverpool life for decades. They will also revitalise an area of the city centre that appears to have been forgotten."
The firm now plans to write to English Partner-ships and the council to find out if there are any concrete proposals for the ABC, which closed in the early 1990s.
If City Life Projects' bid is successful, it wants to expand the idea into a national celebrity-backed chain similar to Planet Hollywood.
It already has a solid track record in the city after turning a derelict warehouse in Water Street into the popular Newz bar.
But previous plans for the ABC have failed because the inside and outside of the building are listed and therefore its uses are strictly limited.
A spokesman for English Partnerships said: "We are currently looking at various options to bring the building back into use. At this stage, there are no firm plans."
A spokesman for Liverpool Culture Company said: "The cinema is one of many venues that we are looking at."
