The chairman of the trust which runs Macclesfield Heritage Centre says the proposed town centre redevelopment plan could kill off the venue.
The centre houses the Cinemac cinema and the Mulberry Café as well as exhibitions relating to the town’s silk industry history. However, the town centre plan includes proposals for an eight-screen multiplex cinema, as well as shops and cafés, next to it.
In a letter to Erika Wenzel, council chief executive, Tony Ranfield says it may struggle to survive. The trust, which also oversees the silk museums on Park Lane and West Park, received £96,000 this year from CEC, with the rest of their funding self-generated.
A significant proportion of this comes from leasing space to companies running the cafe and cinema. The trust also objects to parking plans. The car park next to the centre will disappear to make way for a green area around Churchill Way and be replaced by a multi-storey on Lower Park Lane. The multiplex cinema will have parking underneath.
He said: "It is a complete and utter mess. If it goes ahead I think we are doomed as people just wouldn’t come." The trust currently employs five or six full-time staff and is helped by dozens of volunteers.
Malcolm Sherratt, chairman of the Friends of Macclesfield Silk Heritage said: "It will kill us if we’re not careful. Developing the town is a good idea, but we believe the heritage centre should have been the focal point of the plan. We have been providing services to the town since 1814."
Councillor Jamie Macrae, cabinet member with responsibility for prosperity, said: "The public consultation on the Wilson Bowden proposals for Macclesfield Town centre is ongoing, all views and comments will be evaluated and inform the final planning application."
