Ealing Broadway residents to enjoy new cinema

Residents in Ealing Broadway have been without a cinema for four years now following the closure of a facility owned by Empire Cinemas in 2008.

But that looks set to change after Ealing Council announced it has chosen Land Securities to develop a new multiplex in the town centre.

It will sit at the heart of an urban quarter linking the cinema to the town centre and Walpole Park and will have the potential for restaurants, retail outlets and new homes.

These will extend south from the cinema towards Ealing Studios, and Ealing Council is looking to explore a number of opportunities with the television and film production company.

"We think Ealing has great potential and this cinema quarter scheme will have a hugely positive effect on the town centre," said Land Securities development director Nick Davis.

"We look forward to working with the council to ensure that a high quality leisure scheme is delivered which provides the long awaited cinema for the original home of the British film industry."

Julian Bell, a local councillor, said he looks forward to the return of Hollywood blockbuster movies at Ealing Broadway, as well as the arrival of some independent films and events.

"The innovative thinking of Land Securities means that once again when people think of cinema they will think of Ealing," he remarked.

A redevelopment scheme for the Empire Cinema-owned facility was approved in 2004 but Ealing Council waited years for work to begin on the site.

It gave the company until October 2012 to begin the project or face a compulsory purchase order. It then went to the market this September to select a partner to back the order.

Not only will the new complex benefit those already living in the area, but it may also provide a boost for property to rent in Ealing Broadway as potential tenants see the mix of amenities on offer.

Posted by Charles Mackay
 

Published 24th December, 2012

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