Ooty Assembly Rooms Trustees Propose Private Lease for Heritage Cinema

The Assembly Rooms in Ooty, a 140-year-old cinema hall built in 1886 as a British social and ballroom space, may be leased to a private firm by its trustees. The building was placed in a public trust in 1922 by Lord and Lady Willington, with the intention of keeping the space open to the town. The trustees now want to lease the property to a private player and convert it into a commercial duplex-screen complex. They also plan to develop the theatre's backyard into an additional theatrical space. Conservationists have expressed concern, questioning who has the right to lease out the heritage property and whether the proposal amounts to reinvention rather than renovation.