Two cinemas will reopen in Walthamstow after councilors approved a plan to breathe new life into a historic site after 60 years.
The Regal on Hale End Road, Highams Park, will be part of a plan that will include an on-site cinema for the first time since 1963.
Just a few miles away, Walthamstow town center is about to return to its multiplexes with Forest Cinemas set to open where Empire closed last July.
While neither location has an opening date yet, it’s good news for moviegoers who haven’t had a regular location in a while.
Waltham Forest Deputy Chief Boarder Ahsan Khan said of the Highams Park project: “This is an exciting step in the adventure of revitalising a historic and much-loved cinema.
“I know that the citizens of Highams Park have been waiting for a long time for the site to be proposed and for it to become a reality regardless. ”
The Regal bought through developer Mammoth Capital in 2018, and the venue has been used as a bingo and billiards broker since its initial closure.
After approval of the plans, a premises with two rooms, a cafeteria and a block of 33 residential apartments will be built, of which 18 are one-bedroom and 15 are two-bedroom.
Mammoth has been contacted for comment.
Councillor Rosalind Doré said: “The Regal Cinema is an iconic building in the centre of Highams Park.
“The local network has shown a lot of enthusiasm to revitalize the building and create an area where everyone can gain advantage. ”
He added that a procedure has been initiated to check out with an operator of the facility.
“The site owner will be guilty of marketing the area and agreeing the lease with a cinema operator, and the council will assist with promotion to ensure the most productive deal for the citizens of Highams Park and downtown,” he said.
Meanwhile, Empire closed its Walthamstow High Street cinema last July and subsequent efforts to bring it back to life proved fruitless, with the damage caused by the squatters.
But Forest Cinemas operator PDJ Cinemas, which charges £3. 50 for all tickets at its Romford base, is said to be weeks away from reopening the cinema.
Director James Jervis told the Waltham Forest Echo that confirmation of the date would depend on “deliveries and technical details”.
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