Crystal Palace’s Star Studded Cinema Campaign

Pixie Lott

This week, the very busy campaigners for an independent cinema in Crystal Palace deliver their bucket load of objections to the proposed change of use of the old bingo hall. If you’re not familiar with the campaign, the Kingsway Church outbid City Screen Ltd to purchase the old Gala Bingo Hall and have since submitted an application to Bromley Council to change its use from D2 (leisure) to D1 (place of worship).

On Thursday the campaigners will submit their official objections to add to the hundreds of letters already sent to the council by local residents. As well as the community support, the campaigners have garnered quite a bit of celebrity backing for the campaign. Pop star Pixie Lott and musician VV Brown were pictured with the Picture Palace campaign T-shirt.

Spike Jonze

Upcoming WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE director and genius behind BEING JOHN MALKOVICH, Spike Jonze, has also lent his support to the campaign. He was quoted in the local press saying “give Crystal Palace a cinema or we’ll all end up watching movies in the mall. What a bummer.” We couldn’t agree more!

Other celebrities to support the campaign include Mercury prize-winner Speech Debelle who said “Crystal Palace is a great place for food and bars but it also needs entertainment especially for the youngsters,” and Florence ‘and the Machine’ Welch, who said “I am a south London girl and I fully support the campaign”.

Since my last post on the campaign the petition signatures have grown to over 4900 in support of a cinema on the site which is staggering. The Facebook group now has 5681 members, including loads of us here at Picturehouse. There is a council committee meeting in December when the application is expected to be decided. If the application was rejected and the building was once again made available for sale, its safe to say we would be throwing our hat back into the ring.

VV Brown

The campaigners have organised a meeting of supporters on Sunday 18 October, 2.30pm at the Queen’s Hotel in Church Road. The meeting is to show the strength of feeling for the campaign.

Presenting the Petition to Bromley Council