THE building which once housed the Astor Cinema is currently unsafe to passersby and those who live in the vicinity because of the way demolition works started, Town Clerk Royston King reported on Monday.

Speaking to city councillors at the fortnightly statutory meeting, King said at least three persons were arrested for unlawfully breaking the property.
The new owner, King said, has since indicated that a new building will be constructed at the site. The owner was asked to urgently remove all debris or action will have to be taken against him, King said.

Just last week, the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) served a notice to The Discount Store on Regent Street to cease demolition of the building because no permission was requested nor granted by City Engineer Colvern Venture.
According to information received by the Guyana Chronicle, the new owners of the cinema land were to apply for permission to start such work 14 days in advance.

This requirement is necessary as it would allow the city engineer to erect barricades, and put in place other arrangements, that would serve to protect those in the vicinity, and who may happen to be passing by.

Owner of the Discount store, Rizwan Khan, however, told the Guyana Chronicle recently that he had already submitted an application to City Hall’s building inspector and pondered whether Venture had knowledge of this.

He claimed that he has never instructed anyone to demolish the building and those doing so are out to destroy and loot the property.
Meanwhile, the Church Street landscape, which featured the Astor Cinema for many decades, is expected to change considerably with the removal of the cinema.

Manager of the Discount Store and daughter of Khan, Fariah Khan, had confirmed to the Guyana Chronicle that they are the new owners of the cinema land.

Located at Lot 189 Church and Waterloo Streets, Astor was the last cinema in the city to close its doors, which it did in early 2013, after more than 70 years of being in the movie business.