Forum Topic

New cinema - are we convinced?

There seems to be plenty of construction-type activity on the cinema site now. Given Empire's previous smoke and mirrors act, are we finally persuaded that it is now going to be built? And a propos, is it actually Empire or some other company building the cinema? I couldn't tell from all the press releases whether or not the compulsory purchase order was ever executed. Also, is it going to be a single cinema or - as I recall from one Ealing Today article - is it going to be some kind of mini "media village"?

Alex Weel ● 4784d11 Comments

I see that British courts have ceded to Irish courts for this case. My husband, the retired lawyer, is quite excited about this.

Susan Kelly ● 4780d

I think the title is a bit misleading (well, let's hope it is!)

Alan Outten ● 4780d

Except for the new story on the front page.

Susan Kelly ● 4780d

Ah, but that silence may be the sound of Empire finally giving up the battle (so could, actually, be good news!)

Alan Outten ● 4780d

I passed the site on the bus earlier today. All the diggers have left and there was no sign of any of the aforementioned activity. Oh dear.

Alex Weel ● 4781d

maybe a ruse to avoid the CPO...Didn't the council issue a form of words to the effect that "...unless substantive evidence of significant construction activty was shown to be taking place on the site within 'x' days then the CPO would be proceeeded with..."?

Tony Colliver ● 4783d

The construction activity possibly reflects an attempt to add value to the site - a partially built structure (they are doing the piling for foundations at the moment) effectively "locks in" the approved development and would increase the chances of Empire getting an additional return on their investment to date. The flurry of construction is also a way of hampering British Land's ambition for a different development thus limiting the commercial interest in the site and increasing Empire's chances of hanging on to it.

Tony Gould ● 4783d

My guess is that they aren't really sure what they should be doing! They're probably a bit strapped for cash at the moment and happy to delay things for as long as they can until their finances have improved.I do wonder whether Empire initially knocked down the old cinema as they were worried that the old building would be given listed status if left for too much longer. However, the recession has meant that access to cash to rebuild has been very difficult. The high court hearing last week should now mean that they will have to sell up. To be honest, Empire probably did get a bit of a bargain when they originally bought the Ealing Cinema site (it was one of six cinemas that had to be sold by Odeon/UGC who were forced to do so by the Office of Fair Trading) so they shouldn't be too upset if it is sold off!

Alan Outten ● 4783d

Thanks a lot, Alan. But your reply does rather beg the question as to why on earth there is construction activity on the site when the legal/ownership issues haven't been resolved yet. Is this some sort of ploy by Empire to hoodwink us?

Alex Weel ● 4783d

I've been closely following "developments" (or, at least, anything that's been put on the web!) over the last couple of months from the comfort of my sofa. My prediction is this:1. Empire will be forced to sell the site within the next few months.2. The site will be put up for sale and the most likely buyer is the property giant, Land Securities.3. If the site is sold then there is a very good chance that Ealing Council will try and expand the site by adding property on Bond Street and Mattock Lane to increase the total area from 1.15 acres to about 2 acres.4. If Ealing do this, then the site will become a media village/cinema quarterIn more detail, the site will most likely be sold as Empire currently have an outstanding loan from the (nationalised?) Irish Bank IBRC who are now very concerned that, if the site is CPOed, then they will not get their money back. They therefore wish to get the Receivers in to take over the site and sell it before any CPO is completed. Last week, Empire went to the High Court to try and stop IBRC but failed. They say they will appeal this decision.If the site is put up for sale then the highest bidder would probably get the site. This could be Land Securities or it could be another developer. If a different developer purchases the site, then they could just carry on and build the cinema that Empire were going to build (as planning permission has already been granted). If however, a decision to build something different is made, then this would require a new planning application.I'm keeping a record of things on a blog (see http://ealingcinema.wordpress.com) and via Twitter (see https://twitter.com/EalingCinema). Please forward me any new news!

Alan Outten ● 4784d

I'm glad to hear that there's some sign of life. Even the old cinema had three screens and the intention was always for the new one to have several. Art-house films in Ealing at last?

Susan Kelly ● 4784d