Labour Party members condemn closure of Smithfield's Light House cinema

Labour Party members Joe Costello, TD, and Nessa Childers, MEP, have condemned the closure of the Light House cinema in Dublin's Smithfield. Said Childers: "If action isn't taken on behalf on the Arts Council and the Government, the only cinemas that exist in Ireland will be those housing big budget American blockbusters. This would represent an enormous cultural deficit for Ireland. This could in turn have a serious economic impact, and arguably already is. Recently released European figures have shown that cultural goods now make up just 0.2% of Irish exports, compared with 1.8% of British exports.

"The Arts provide important support and hope to Irish people during tough economic times such as these, yet are almost always the first to be slashed in austerity budgets. I strongly encourage Minister Jimmy Deenihan to consider stronger support for services such as the Light-House cinema, which is going out of business for as little as €177,000."

Minster for Tourism, Culture and Sport Jimmy Deenihan had previously told the Dáil that "The Light House Cinema fits into the category of a quality cultural space and has been an important addition to the cultural life of Smithfield in particular and Dublin in general since it opened nearly three years ago. The cinema presents a diverse and individual programme of the best Irish, independent, foreign language, arthouse and classic cinema. It is important that as many types of cinematic tastes as possible are catered for in a large city such as Dublin and the Light House Cinema has played an important role in delivering this film diversity."

According to Dublin Central TD Joe Costello, NAMA has been decribed by the cinema's landlord as "the villain of the piece - pressurising him to insist on the higher payment so that they could recoup their losses sustained from his loan portfolio which they had acquired from Anglo Irish Bank." Although Minister Deenihan has said that "There is no reluctance on the part of NAMA to approve commercially viable agreements. Nor is there any enthusiasm on its part for approving commercial agreements that are not viable" in "the real world of 2011" as described by Costello, "The landlord will not get his rent of €200,000 annually; NAMA will not get its loan repayments; and the premises which houses the Light House Cinema will lie derelict for the foreseeable future."

The space may be retained by the state for use as an "arthouse cultural cinema centre" under the auspices of the Arts Council and the Irish Film Board, or the current tenants may be required to repay €1.75 million in state grants received to date. Minister Deenihan has not yet issued a statement as to any decision in this regard. 

Costello described the closure of the cinema as "another blow to the regeneration of Smithfield as an integrated, residential, commercial and cultural area" and suggested that "NAMA put together a business plan which provides for the management and disposal of its property loan portfolio in a manner which protects the integrity of the urban renewal strategy of the last fifteen years and which puts people before property."