The cinema in Church Road as it looked during the post-war years

There is good news for Upper Norwood and the campaign for a cinema in the Crystal Palace Triangle.

On 17 December, Bromley Council rejected an application for “change of use” for the old Gala Bingo Hall on Church Road.

This means the building cannot become a Mega Church but must remain for family entertainment use. There are hopes, therefore, that the KICC Church will sell the building to an interested cinema company.

A cinema would be a huge boost for the regeneration of our area. We have supported the excellent Cinema Campaign by making our own submission to Bromley, helping to deliver Cinema Campaign leaflets, and persuading Lambeth Council that it was wrong to state it had “no objections” to the Mega Church. (Lambeth changed its submission after pressure from the Campaign and from Andrew.)

There is still a long way to go. The Church might not sell its building, and a great opportunity for a cinema would be missed. But the decision on the 17 December is an important step forward. We now hope the Church will sell the building and find somewhere more appropriate for its own needs.

We will continue to post further updates on www.yourgipsyhill.com/cinema