A county councillor says calls for a zebra crossing outside several schools on a Mapperley road are “worthy of more consideration” after children and parents warned it is becoming unsafe to cross.

A petition with 817 signatures was submitted to Nottinghamshire County Council in November calling for the crossing to be installed in Digby Avenue.

The area has been described as a “racetrack” with motorists driving down at “ridiculous speeds”, and concerns over road safety leading to the petition being organised by a four-year-old school pupil.

The petition called for a raised zebra crossing to be installed to prevent cars from speeding down the 30mph road.

Now the council has confirmed a pedestrian and traffic survey will be undertaken on Digby Avenue to determine whether the crossing should be prioritised for future funding.

An alternative assessment will also be carried out to determine whether any other solutions could be considered to help alleviate the problems on Digby Avenue.

Responding to the survey during the transport and environment committee on Wednesday (March 23), Councillor Neil Clarke (Con), chairman of the committee, said he thinks there is scope for the crossing.

“I have received some representations regarding this petition and I do know the road myself as well, and I think this is worthy of further investigation and further survey,” he said.

“[This is] given the fact that the previous survey was done, I believe, during more pronounced Covid times, and I think this is worthy of more consideration.

“I would like to ensure that a re-investigation of a crossing is included in the options for this.”

The initial petition was presented to full council in November by Cllr John Clarke (Lab), leader of Gedling Borough Council and division member for Arnold South.

Speaking in the November meeting, Cllr Clarke said: “Anybody who knows of Digby Avenue in Mapperley will know that it’s a racetrack.

“The idiots drive down there at ridiculous speeds, there’s a very good special school on one side and a very good junior and infant school on the other.

“This is not just a petition, this is raised by a four-year-old child who has been the driver behind this.

“It’s also a cross-party, cross-generation issue because our local MP Tom Randall (Con), Michelle Welsh my Labour colleague and all our Gedling councillors are in support of this.

“This road is in serious need of some traffic calming.”

And Labour members on the transport and environment committee have welcomed Cllr Clarke’s response to the petition.

Cllr Glynn Gilfoyle (Lab), who represents Worksop East, spoke on behalf of Cllrs John Clarke and Michelle Welsh and called on the committee chairman to meet with his colleagues at the site.

He said: “We really support a zebra crossing for that particular area.

“There is a nursery, an infant and a junior school, a school with special needs and a multi-use game area and a care home all in close proximity to that area.

“This road is used very highly by children and the original requests actually came from children within the school. This relates to the schools even supporting a crossing in this area because it was much-needed.

“Our councillors are requesting a site visit with them and for a full report to be published in relation to this area.”

Sean Parkes, a council spokesperson, told Cllr Gilfoyle the crossing is “still definitely on the cards” ahead of the upcoming survey, but said the potential site visit shouldn’t take place until the assessments have concluded.

New apartments could be built on land next to one of Nottingham’s most historic cinemas in Mapperley

Land near the former Majestic Cinema building could be given a new lease of life after plans were submitted for seven apartments across three blocks in Woodborough Road

Thew cinema, which was opened in 1929, is one of the only buildings of its kind by architect Alfred John Thraves which has survived.

The plans propose to retain the landmark Grade II listed building and build one apartment block next to it and two more behind it, without damaging the cinema’s “image nor its integrity”.

The cinema closed in 1953 and was later taken over by the Haunted Museum and Oddities in 2018.

But the museum moved to the city centre in 2021 and the building has not been used since.

In 2019 a developer applied to demolish the building and replace it with apartments, but there was uproar from the local community who started a campaign to save it.

After the campaign, Nottingham City Council added the former cinema to their list of Buildings of Historic Interest and it has since been granted Grade II listing status.

Now, applicant RAAM Properties Ltd has applied to Nottingham City Council to build the one and two-bedroom apartments around the vacant cinema site.

Planing documents stated: “The significance of this building as a piece of our heritage has been considered throughout the design phase.

“The proposed new buildings will not compromise its image nor its integrity. In fact, the investment in the site will be of significant benefit to the area in general and the listed building consequently.

“We believe that the requalification of this brownfield site, which has been vacant for a few years and is in a dilapidated state, will overall contribute to the conservation of the heritage asset for the foreseeable future.”

The plans will now be considered by Nottingham City Council.

History of the Majestic Cinema by Bob Massey

The Majestic Cinema in Mapperley was opened at 6pm on June 10, 1929 by the local councillor and ex-Sheriff of Nottingham Mr John Farr.

During the opening ceremony Mr Farr said that “the new cinema has provided the area with one of its finest buildings. The people of Mapperley could not until that time be charged with too much cinema going as this was the first building of this type to be built in the area”.

He also stated that “the new cinema would provide for the social and recreational sides of life with its program of educational values and healthy interest.”

The site for the cinema had been well chosen at the top of the hill near the Methodist Church. Being built into the hillside it allowed the entrance to be at street level with steps leading towards the screen, thus making it natural auditorium. This arrangement gave easy access to both the stalls and balcony.

The building was designed by Alfred J Thraves who also designed many of the arteas cinemas including the Regent at Kirby and the Plaza in Mansfield.

This cinema was built by the firm of Coleman and Blackburn of East Kirby who had constructed several other cinemas.

It had a total seating capacity of 721 all with a good view of the 20’(6m) by 15’(4.5m) screen.

It was for its time splendidly equipped and decorated and was described as “the Elite of the Suburbs”. This was a reference to the Elite Cinema in Nottingham which was one of the finest cinema buildings then in existence.

The opening film was Sorrell and Son, the story of an ex-army officer’s struggles after the First World War, and starred Mary Nolan, Nils Asther and H B Warner.

The cinema was owned by the Severn family who operated the building themselves, They carried out many of the jobs, managed the venue and took the tickets – it was a real family operation.

The program operated Monday to Wednesday when there was then a change of film. This new film then continued until the Saturday. There were of course no films on a Sundays in those days. Saturday afternoon was the kids’ time when from 2pm Westerns, action films, comedy, cartoons and of course the serial, were shown.

The Majestic continued to provide the people of Mapperley with good entertainment throughout the following decades but like many cinemas succumbed to the effects of the cinema tax and the start of television. It finally closed its doors for the last time, with the film Carry on Admiral, on Saturday, December 7, 1957.

After it closed it was occupied by electrical contractors. The electrical contractors eventually moved on and were followed later by a golf store who occupied the premises for a number of years.

The building then stood empty for a number of years until taken over by the last tenants who opened The Haunted Museum. All the users, especially the most recent ones, have respected the decor. The building is substantially unchanged except for a floor being added in the auditorium to provide a level surface.