Mystery Solved Over 'For Sale' Sign On Former Rambert Building

The windy weather had blown down the Sold sign

The mystery behind the 'For Sale' sign on the premises of the former Rambert Ballet building has been solved.

The recent winds had apparently blown down the 'Sold' sign. This revealed the old 'For Sale' sign underneath, leading locals to wonder if the new Picturehouse cinema plan had changed.

However, it has now been confirmed that everything is still on course for a new cinema in Chiswick if planning permission is granted.

Picturehouse plans to convert the building from its current use to a cinema facility with five screens, a bar and café. A full planning application is currently with London Borough of Hounslow for discussion by the planning committee on January 16th.

If approval is granted the company hopes to open in about a year. A spokesperson for Picturehouse said everything was still on schedule and they would attend the planning meeting.

The planning application for the cinema on Chiswick High Road discussed at the Chiswick Area Forum last September where locals and councillors raised issues concerning lateness, licensing and parking.

Picturehouse representatives told the meeting that they plan to provide a cinema which would be tailored to Chiswick’s needs. It would create twenty full-time jobs and fifty part time jobs. It would cost between £3m and £4 million to create the cinema from the shell of the building and would be a regeneration of the eastern end of the High Road and of positive benefit to Chiswick and its night time economy.

The company had stated that it was prepared to work with residents on the matter of opening hours, and would ask for Sunday-Thurs closing at 11.30pm and they would ask for 12.30 closure on Fri and Sat to allow for the films which started at 9pm to finish.

However that position appears to have changed and the company now wants compromise hours extended by an extra fifteen minutes as follows:

Cinema screens Sunday to Thursdays 08.00 - 23.45, Friday to Saturday 08.00 - 00.45

Bars and restaurant Sunday to Thursday 08.00 - 23.20, Friday to Saturday 08.00 - 23.50

Terrace All week 08.00 - 22.30

Formed in 1989, Picturehouse now owns and operates 21 cinemas including Hackney, Clapham and Stratford in London and an additional 36 independently operated venues throughout the UK. The company is a stand-alone entity within Cineworld Group plc from a sale in early December 2012.

Its venues also broadcast live opera and theatre, pioneering live Screen Arts cinecasts from a variety of venues including the National Theatre, the New York Metropolitan Opera and the Royal Opera House, as well as regular filmmaker Q&As.

Rambert Dance Company had been based on Chiswick High Road since 1971 but moved into its new residency in purpose-built headquarters on the South Bank a few months ago.

January 7, 2014