Acton Cinema Likely to Be Popular in Chiswick

Curzon set to redevelop former Library site on High Street

Curzon Cinema looks set to open a new three-screen cinema on Acton High Street. The cinema chain bid for the former library site is the preferred option of Ealing Council, which will announce its decision on Tuesday (December 16).

The plan is for a three-screen cinema, along with a restaurant, bar and three flats on the top floor.

Acton Library

The new cinema would be popular with Chiswick residents as it would be closer for many than the proposed Picturehouse cinema on Chiswick High Road. In addition the Acton site benefits from car parking at the back of the leisure centre.

Mel Alcock, chief operating officer for Curzon Cinemas, said: "As with all Curzon Cinemas, the design of the new venue will embrace and respect its surroundings and, we hope, become a natural hub for the local community."

Planning permission was also given recently for the redevelopment of the site around Hammersmith town hall which will include another Curzon cinema.

Picturehouse has not yet started refurbishing the former Ballet Rambert premises on Chiswick High Road. It was granted permission for a five-screen cinema last January and had hoped to open in January 2015.

A spokesman for Picturehouse said: "Work is in progress. It's taking much longer than we envisage sadly, but we are working with our landlord on obtaining his permission to carry out our works. As soon we know more or have a firm timetable we'll let everyone know.

"In the interim we've placed guardians in the building to keep an eye on it and prevent squatters from entering."

The bid by Curzon Cinemas to take over the old Acton Library building and turn it into a three-screen cinema is the preferred option for the building, chosen by Ealing Council ahead of a bid from an arts centre.

Ealing Council moved Acton’s library into the newly-rebuilt Everyone Active Acton Centre earlier this year and put the old listed library building on the market for sale. The proceeds of the sale will help to pay for the £19million council investment in the Acton Centre.

The news comes as a major disappointment to campaigners for an arts centre for Acton. Their bid to takeover the building had attracted celebrity supporters including Stephen Fry and Sophie Ellis-Bextor.

Councillor Julian Bell, leader of Ealing Council, said: “I will be recommending this proposal to cabinet, because I believe that a top independent cinema like Curzon will be a major asset for Acton. This is their fourth outer London cinema and getting them to come to Acton is a major coup. The cinema will attract visitors and further investment to the area, boost local shops and restaurants and improve Ealing’s range of cultural experiences. “

He added that they were keeping up the pressure to bring a cinema back to Ealing town centre after 'years of broken promises from Empire.'

At this stage an opening date for the Curzon Acton cinema is not known.

December 13, 2014