Light House cinema seeks planning permission for two new screens
by Mairead Maguire, https://www.thejournal.ie/author/mairead-maguire/ · TheJournal.ieTHE LIGHT HOUSE cinema in Dublin’s Smithfield has applied for planning permission for two new screens.
It would add to the four existing screens in its building off Market Square.
The application to An Coimisiún Pleanála asks for permission to change unit 9b, the facades of which are on Queen Street and Blackhall Walk, from a retail space to a cinema space.
Within it would be two small screens with 35 and 45 seats. It would bring the Light House’s seating capacity to 694. Extra toilets for the new screens would be installed.
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The application also includes works to the existing cinema areas, comprising a new bar in the café and a wash-up room.
Its entrance, which faces Smithfield Square, would get a new canopy, lighting and signage, including digital display areas.
The total floor area of the proposed development is around 385 square metres.
The Light House has come a long way since 2011, when it was forced to close and taken over by the National Asset Management Agency (Nama). It reopened in 2012 under Element Pictures and has since become a popular spot.
The cinema regularly hosts high-profile film premieres and other events such as quizzes, book clubs and screenings especially for parents with babies.