A FURTHER week of investigations by the Journal has STILL turned up no one willing to admit to owning the former cinema in Ringwood.
The news comes as the district council revealed it was considering taking enforcement action to get the site developed, after plans were approved for a mixed-use site four years ago.
Numerous companies and individuals have been contacted as we were given leads, only for our calls to draw a blank.
Even a Land Registry search on the address - 2 Market Place - turned up nothing. Zilch.
We called the two agents whose signs were on the property - Saville's of Southampton would not say who its clients were.
Adam Wallace of Saville's said that “market conditions” were forcing development plans to remain “on hold”.
But when the Journal told him why we wanted to know who owned the cinema, he refused to say more and gave us a number for his colleague, who has not returned our call.
An employee of agents BartlePye Commercial told the Journal that they had been “babysitting” the site for a number of clients for the last two years, but was reluctant to reveal who those clients were.
Eventually, he admitted: “We are representing the company which owns the Furlong Shopping Centre, Development Securities Ltd, but that's just part of it - it is not a sole company.”
The Journal had contacted Mark Kincaid, who represented Development Securities in 2007, last week, but he had refused to comment, apart from saying that he did not own the building.
New Forest District Council told the Journal last week that they were investigating the possibility of enforcement proceedings against the owners, which they believed to be Troika Development Ltd.
However when the Journal rang the Poole-based firm an employee denied having anything to do with the former cinema.
New Forest District Council is carrying out its own land registry search, before taking action if the owners - whoever they might be - do not start work on a promised development showcased to the public in 2007.
The news about potential action follows pressure from Ringwood residents and traders, who claim the prominent Market Place building is being “left to rot” when a community hall is badly needed in the town.
Scaffolding covers the facade of the dilapidated building, which was set to feature in a wider scheme to redevlop Centre Place - including land to the rear of the old cinema.
Lorraine Tarrant of Lorraine's Antiques said: “The old cinema is a blot on the landscape. It is a great shame that this building is being left to rot when Ringwood desperately needs a theatre or cinema.”
A spokesman for the district council said: “The council is very aware of the poor condition of this building and is considering its options for taking action if the owners do not implement their approved scheme.”
Ringwood Mayor Christine Ford said: “It is terrible. Not only is the building an eye-sore but it is looking dangerous with bits and pieces of boarding on the ground.
“It has gone beyond a joke. We have been sitting patiently waiting for the owners to start wok on it. It is an embarrassment for Ringwood.
“We are holding a street party on the afternoon of the Royal wedding and we have a ghastly, brooding building looking over our celebrations.”
Mrs Ford added: “Enforcement proceedings should be taken by NFDC.”
- We chart the many different guises of 2 Market Place since 1868 in this week's Journal.
