Nightflix in Colchester to cease operations as business shuts down

Nightflix, which had a site in Colchester as well as others in Newark, Milton Keynes and Bordon, was a hit with viewers watching a range of films as well as Euro 2020 football matches.

The company had been allowed to use the former site of Sainsbury’s supermarket in Stanway as a pop-up cinema venue and had applied to Colchester Council to build on the site.

But the council has refused Nightflix’s planning application and now John Sullivan, the chief executive officer of Nightflix, said the decision has ended any chance of the business staying afloat.

A total of 12 members of staff who worked at the Colchester site have lost their jobs.

Mr Sullivan told the Gazette: “We have been told to cease trading by Colchester Council after they issued a notice to us just before Christmas.

“That notice to cease trading was unexpected because we thought we complied with everything that was required – but they kept on increasing the number of hurdles we had to jump.

“We have put the company into liquidation – covid and council decisions created a terminal problem.”

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Mr Sullivan, who is also an active director of a number of other leisure companies, such as Cinex, Tower Cinemas, The Light Cinemas, Ozseeker and The Big Picture took aim at Colchester Council for the business’ demise.

He said: “I’m going to lay the buck firmly at the council’s door.

"They have been less than gracious and less than generous. They tried every way they could to close us down from the start.

"It’s tied to their ill-considered and absolute insistence on gambling rate payers’ funds on a spurious scheme [of their own].”

He also apologised to employees who had lost their jobs and customers who were still owed money from bought tickets.

Nightflix CEO John Sullivan said it was "devastating" the business had gone into liquidation

He added: “We have had to lay off 12 really lovely people who have been employed by us right from the start.

“I’m sorry for the people who have bought tickets – it remains to be seen whether they will get their money back.”

A spokesman for Colchester Council said the environmental impact of a drive-in cinema was key in the council’s decision.

A spokesman said: “Nighftlix began operating without planning permission in 2020, after the council engaged with the operator to grant a temporary one-year approval in November that year.”

He said concerns were raised about the “car dependant nature” of Nightflix and the likelihood of engine idling on site.

However, he said temporary approval was granted in what was “a finely-balanced decision."

He added Nightlflix had been asked to demonstrate the success of measures to limit engine idling on site which it had not done, so it was not able to extend the temporary permission.