“Gimme Cinema” say Jagger & local kids

We are very late in reporting this but Mick Jagger has given his support to the campaign by Walthamstow residents to save the Granada/EMD Cinema in Hoe Street.

Jagger said:
“Cinemas and live venues like The Granada in Walthamstow where the Stones played in the early days, learning our craft on the way, are the lifeblood of our cultural history.

“They helped launched British popular music onto a world stage and should continue to function as places of entertainment and enjoyment.

“It’s heartbreaking to hear about such a beautiful, important historical building and centre of entertainment being lost to the local community.

“I fully support the campaign to keep it open and provide film, music and the arts for generations to come.”

BBC News online report on Jagger’s plea
Picture of the Granada in 1987

In mid June around a 100 kids dressed up as their favourite film characters as a children’s demo became the latest protest against plans to resubmit an application turned down 5 years ago to convert the cinema into a church.

Bill Hodgson, of McGuffin’s said: “This is the first generation of children since the 1890s who have not had access to a cinema in their town centre”
“Parents are forced to spend their money in other boroughs if they want to their children to watch films. It’s a ludicrous situation.”
Read the full story on the Waltham Forest Guardian site.

Meanwhile Labour councillor Terry Wheeler has gone on record to say the council will NEVER use a compulsory purchase order to bring the cinema back into use.
Controversially pre-empting the planning application he stated the Church would “more attractive, particularly to young people” than a cinema.

Cinema operators keen to restore and reopening the historic building also spoke to McGuffins in June (full story)

Clear divisions have also opened up between local political parties on the issue. The Lib Dem’s have held two meetings with cinema operators to ensure all parties can “hear another perspective” on claims that the site is not viable as a cinema.

It should also be noted that the Lib Dems have also ““met with UCKG representatives and very much welcome the efforts they have made to begin engaging with residents and councillors.” What these efforts were is an open question, since UCKG appear to have directly avoided any meaningful consultation with the public and refused Labour PPC request to speak at a public meeting.

BBC Report on fight to save the cinema: