Two cinemas are set to reopen in the Walthamstow area after councillors approved a plan for a historic venue to be given a new lease of life after 60 years.
The Regal in Hale End Road, Highams Park, is set to be transformed as part of a plan that will see a cinema in the venue for the first time since 1963.
Only a few miles away, Walthamstow town centre is set to get its only multiplex back with Forest Cinemas primed to open where Empire closed last July.
While neither venue yet has an opening date, it is good news for film fans who have gone without a regular venue for some time.
Waltham Forest council deputy leader Ahsan Khan said of the Highams Park project: “This is an exciting step in the journey to reinvigorate a much cherished but neglected historical cinema.
“I know Highams Park residents have been waiting a long time for the site to come forward and it’s finally happening.”
The Regal was bought by developer Mammoth Capital in 2018, with the site having been used as a bingo and snooker hall since its original closure.
After planning approval, the building is set to be turned into a two screen venue as well as a cafe and block of 33 residential apartments, consisting of 18 one-bed flats and 15 two-bed flats.
Mammoth has been approached for comment.
Councillor Rosalind Doré said: “The Regal Cinema is an iconic building in the centre of Highams Park.
“There has been much enthusiasm from the local community to revitalise the building and create a space that everyone can benefit from.”
She added that a process has started to try and find an operator for the venue.
“The site owner will be responsible for marketing the space and agreeing the lease with a cinema operator, with the council assisting with the promotion to get the best offer for Highams Park residents and the town centre,” she said.
Meanwhile Empire closed its Walthamstow High Street cinema last July and subsequent efforts to revive the site have proved fruitless, with damage being caused by squatters.
But the operator of Forest Cinemas, PDJ Cinemas, which charges only £3.50 for all tickets at its Romford venue, is reportedly weeks away from re-opening the cinema.
Director James Jervis told the Waltham Forest Echo that confirming the exact date would depend on “deliveries and technical details”.
