After the cinema closed, it was purchased by Develop UK, and several attempts were made to turn the building into a Wetherspoons pub. However these were rejected by the council twice, once in the initial planning application, and also in a subsequent appeal. The application was denied due to the moratorium on new food and drink licences in Withington, part of the town's unitary development plan. In 2002 the building was purchased by Arrows International. They applied for planning permission in December 2002 to demolish part of the cinema, reconstructing it as five ground floor shops, with 21 flats on the upper floors. These plans were withdrawn as they were seen as overdeveloping the site.