The Moonlight Movies Drive-In Theatre in Lumsden has been shut down by the Rural Municipality of Lumsden.

A notice received by the theatre and a press release from the RM said its Development Permit Application was denied because the light from the vehicles and screen is “detrimental” to the well-being of nearby property owners. The notice also cites traffic safety concerns on Highway 20, failure to meet the intent of the CR2 Zoning District and inability to access the site from a “major road network” as reasons for the denial.

According to a Facebook post by the theatre, the RM said the reason for the shutdown is “concerns to overall public safety on highway number 20 immediately before and after the movie”.

"What I find funny though is highway number 20, that exact stretch, is where you can find campers lined up every year going to Craven so it seems kind of weird a tiny little drive in theatre is going to be an issue,” theatre co-owner Shawn Barrett said.

Since the beginning of August, the Moonlight Movies Drive-In Theatre has been a new addition to the Outer Edge Adventure Park located just off of Highway 11 northeast of Lumsden.

“It is unfortunate that the property owners established the drive-in theatre prior to possessing a valid Development Permit,” The RM said in a press release.

The theatre says it gets an average of 50 vehicles per Friday and Saturday evening, that all show up to the site periodically before and over the two-hour screening period. The decision was made at a council meeting on Aug. 23.