American film executives who helped launch The Point write letters to council calling for iconic building to be preserved
Two American film executives who helped launch The Point cinema in Milton Keynes in the 1980s have written to the city council calling for the building to be preserved.
Charles J Wesoky, the President of ICFC LLC, an international film and cinema consultancy business, and Millard Ochs, the retired President of Warner Bros International Cinemas, have written to Milton Keynes City Council calling for the historic site to be preserved.
Wesoky arrived in the city in October 1984 and lead a proposal to build and operate an entertainment centre in the central business district of Milton Keynes.
The famous red triangle is facing demolition after developers won an appeal last month to replace the iconic structure with 487 flats in blocks up to 21 storeys high.
According to the BBC, Ochs wrote in a letter to the council: "The Point revolutionised cinema-going and set a global standard for multiplexes.
"I see The Point as a testament to innovation and community.
"Its loss would diminish Milton Keynes' heritage and the global narrative of cinema's evolution.
"I implore the council to preserve the building or commemorate its legacy through a monument and museum display, ensuring future generations recognise its impact."
Ochs added that he believed the council should issue a Building Preservation Notice to pause demolition, and use the time to pursue listed status for the area from Historic England.
The Point was previously assessed for such status in 2021 but fell short of the required criteria, and was instead given a Certificate of Immunity, which expires in March 2026.
In a supporting letter Wesoky wrote: "The heritage of The Point site must be somehow preserved and acknowledged in a meaningful manner."
In a 2017 feature with the Citizen, Wesoky recalled how The Point’s initial goal in its first year was to get 760,000 visitors through the doors, however this was significantly surpassed, with 1.05 million.
He also said: “I can still see the young excited faces of hundreds of kids running towards us to purchase tickets and going to the concession stand.”
In response, Milton Keynes City Council leader Pete Marland told the Citizen: “I understand the strong cultural significance of The Point as iconic to our city’s heritage to a whole generation of people from Milton Keynes, it’s wider importance to the growth of Milton Keynes and to the film industry.
"The council recognises that the current building is no longer fit for modern uses and we were willing to work with the landowner, as any plan to redevelop the site is important to maintain the success of the city centre that the original Point helped create.
"The council strongly felt that the cultural significance of The Point should be recognised in any new designs, which is why we made very strong representations that some of the original red metal pyramid structure should be retained as part of any new building. Unfortunately, the developer disagreed in their proposals.
"The council strongly felt the new designs failed to recognise The Point properly and did not meet our planning policies, and the council refused the scheme planning permission, which the developer appealed to the Planning Inspector.
"As part of our representations to the inspector we made a strong case around the heritage of the site and the need to retain some of the current building. Sadly, not only did the inspector grant planning permission, he also called the idea to retain part of the original building “tokenistic.”
"We feel this is a kick in the teeth for Milton Keynes and fails to understand the importance of The Point. However, it is therefore obvious that on that issue, the decision was clear.
"The council is still considering our options on the decision although, as I have previously said, even the Planning Inspector was highly sceptical the current proposals will ever be built. We hope the landowner will reconsider the plans.
"However, if they do proceed I am sure the council would seek to find ways to properly recognise the significance of The Point in some way.”