Justin Timberlake and Tiger Woods have been granted permission to turn an old cinema in St Andrews into a sports bar.
T-Squared Social is set to turn the New Picture House Cinema into a luxury bar with sports simulators, duckpin bowling and darts, as well as retaining two cinema screens.
Timberlake and Woods are shareholders in the real estate company Nexus Luxury Collection, which made the sports bar application, and Fife Council, which the Scottish town falls under, said that it would “protect and enhance the character and appearance of the conservation area.” Meanwhile, it’s expected that around 40 to 45 jobs will be created as a result.
In planning documents, the cinema’s owners said they’d have to close the New Picture Hotel if there wasn’t a change to the site, as it “currently runs at under 10 per cent occupancy and is no longer a viable stand-alone cinema operation.”
According to the documents, the plans will allow locals to “experience a broader range of cinema, dining and entertainment” and will be “crucial in helping to secure a cinema offering going forward.”
The cinema first opened in 1930. Some of the building’s main features, like the ceiling, walls and stage, are set to remain. Under the project’s terms of approval, work needs to begin in the next three years.
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Woods said that he and Timberlake thought up the idea while playing golf at their development in the Bahamas. Timberlake has played golf at St Andrews in the past, including at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in 2019.
Meanwhile, Nexus’ CEO and managing partner Christopher Anand said: “We are taking great care to preserve and celebrate the historic architecture and design of the theatre and continue its tradition of showcasing great films.”
The news comes weeks after Timberlake was arrested for “driving while intoxicated” in New York. The singer was arrested on June 18, reportedly after an anonymous tip-off from the Long Island hotel in which he was staying.
During a show he played in Chicago three days later (June 21) he broke his silence, explaining that he’d faced a “tough week” and telling his fans: “I know sometimes I’m hard to love but you keep on loving me and I love you right back.”
The former NSYNC star released his sixth solo album, ‘Everything I Thought It Was’, on March 15.
In a three-star review, NME said: “Timberlake is a less beloved pop superstar than he probably should be 25 years after he sang “It’s gonna be may” on an era-defining NSYNC banger. ‘Everything I Thought It Was’ shows he hasn’t lost his vocal chops or ability to work a groove, but it doesn’t do enough to make you block out past misdemeanours. For now, Timberlake’s problematic fave era will have to wait.”