The iconic Belle Vue Showcase cinema is being demolished

The iconic Showcase cinema on Hyde Road is to be demolished to make way for a new secondary school.

The cinema at Belle Vue has officially closed for good, with the news that a school will replace it now confirmed.

According to the Manchester Evening News, it’ll be a free school run by the Co-op, with plans for its first set of Year 7 students to attend by next September.

However, they will be based in temp accommodation, as the new school building won’t be complete until 2023 – with local children helping to design the finished building.

Gerald England / Geograph

If you’re going to miss the old Showcase cinema, don’t worry too much, as the company says it is currently looking at a new unnamed location to open another cinema, adding that they ‘remain fully committed to the city’.

The iconic cinema opened back in 1989, on the site of the former Belle Vue entertainment complex, and boasted 14 screens.

It closed its doors back in March when the pandemic hit, but has now confirmed the news that it will not be reopening its doors, having already agreed a deal to sell the land to Manchester City Council to build a new school.

The city council’s Executive Member for Children and Schools, Councillor Garry Bridges, said: “Co-op have a good track record of operating schools in Manchester and elsewhere and it’s great news that they’re going to be at the helm of this much-needed brand new school in this part of the city.

“Pupil numbers are set to continue to rise across Manchester and we’re already working closely with schools and others on this, and have detailed plans in place to ensure we have the right number of places in the right locations to meet this growing demand.

“Our children and young people deserve the best education, delivered in the best buildings, and this is what we’re determined to ensure they get.”

While there’s not been an official timeline for the cinema’s demolition or the school’s construction, according to the town hall work will be completed by 2023.