A public hearing on the appeals against the planned development by Arnotts on Middle Abbey Street in Dublin will take place on Tuesday, February 6th. Among the appellants is Neil Connolly of the Light House cinema. With the building which currently houses the cinema's two current screens scheduled for demolition, Connolly is unhappy at what he sees as a grave dilution of the original commitment by Arnotts to three new cinema screens on the site of the Adelphi. The current plan merely states that "basement space may be provided" for cinemas, which Connolly sees as insufficient.

"The plans are simply too vague," he believes. "There's no detail, and it's not at all clear where or what size any cinemas would be." While Connolly accepts that Arnotts has valid commercial needs for its development, he believes that "if they were to enter into negotiations with us in a generous, sensible spirit, there's no reason why we should not be able to come to a reasonable agreement". A decision on the appeal is expected in March.