Final Credits To Roll For Hammersmith's Cineworld

Colin Firth had been part of actor's campaign to save Art Deco building

Hammersmith and Fulham Council has confirmed that the Cineworld cinema on King Street will be demolished as part of its plans to breathe new liife into the west end of the street. It is not known when the Cineworld will close. Plans for the redevelopment include a new cinema to be built in the remodelled Town Hall.

Oscar-winner and Chiswick resident Colin Firth had supported the campaign to save Hammersmith’s Art Deco Cinema with fellow thespians Joely Richardson, Dougray Scott, and Ralph Fiennes.

 Save Our Skyline (SOS), a community group formed to campaign for appropriate redevelopment of the area, had gathered over 6,000 signatures on its cinema petition.

The developers are expected to start in March 2016.

The approved redevelopment involves the demolition of the existing Cineworld building at 207-209 King Street, to be replaced by a new building comprising a retail unit at ground floor level (approximately 478 sqm), fronting onto King Street, together with the entrance/reception for the new civic offices proposed on the upper floors.

The plans make provision for a new cinema at ground/first floor level in the re-modelled Town Hall Extension building . The cinema would comprise three auditoria with a total of 250 seats, together with ancillary space on part of the ground floor where people can gather to collect tickets, buy drinks etc prior to screenings. The amount of leisure space proposed is 1,052sqm.

The remaining land on the west side of Nigel Playfair Avenue (the car park, Registry Office and Friends Meeting House) would be redeveloped for residential purposes. There would be additional residential accommodation within the re-clad/re-modelled Town Hall Extension, and on the upper floors of the new building proposed at 181-187 King Street (a new retail/restaurant unit is proposed at ground floor level). The development would provide a total of 196 new residential units.

The developers (KSD) have now bought the Cineworld building and are in the process acquiring the remaining third party land (Hammersmith Friends Meeting House) to complete the site assembly and allow for the commencement of the development.

November 6, 2015