'Keep out' plea from developer of 1930s cinema site

The man behind plans to reopen a south of Scotland cinema dating back to the 1930s has warned that anyone breaking into the building risks delaying the project further.

Tristan Campbell also urged anyone seeing anything suspicious around the former Regal site in Dumfries to report it to police.

He said there had been a break-in at some point over the past fortnight and such incidents could affect reopening plans if they caused damage to the property.

The site on the town's Shakespeare Street closed in 2018 but Campbell said it was definitely not "abandoned" and work was ongoing to open it to the public once more.

Plans surfaced more than a year ago to try to reopen the building but they have been put back on a number of occasions.

Campbell warned that breaking into the premises could cause the date to slip back even further.

"I know everyone is really keen to see inside, but I would appeal for everyone to keep out of the building until it is ready to be opened to the public," he said.

"The landlord is working hard to make the building ready for use again.

"But every time a break-in happens, it only delays the process, as it causes additional damage to the property or takes resources away from the work required to get the cinema opened."

He also said he remained optimistic the building could be back in use soon.

"The Regal Cinema in Dumfries is a real project of love for me, I can't wait to get it back in action for everyone to enjoy, and we really aren't very far away from making that happen," he said.

"Currently we are experiencing an unexpected delay due to snagging issues on work carried out earlier in the year, when the ceiling replacement works damaged the emergency lighting circuits in the auditorium.

"Once this issue is resolved we will be working at pace to get opened for business."

He urged the public to play its part in ensuring the process could move forward as quickly as possible by reporting any suspicious activity around the building.

He said CCTV footage from the latest incident was being reviewed and stressed that reopening the site represented a "big commercial investment in the town of Dumfries".

Site owners Buzz Bingo said the security company for the building had made secure the entrance door and screens which had been damaged and had also checked the security system.