You have until the 14th of September to submit your objections to the UCKG’s planning application.

This is the last chance – if the application is accepted the cinema will be lost forever.

See below for details from the Save Our Cinema campaign – Visit their website for the latest:

Waltham Forest Council will shortly decide the fate of the borough’s last working cinema, the beautiful and unique EMD on Walthamstow’s Hoe Street. Although several cinema operators are actively interested in reviving the venue, the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG) want to convert it for mainly church use despite having previous plans rejected by the government.

If local councillors approve their new planning application, the cinema is lost forever.

If you support reviving the cinema as a place of entertainment for the benefit of the whole community then now is the time to act.

Three easy steps to objecting to the UCKG’s planning application for the EMD/Granada Cinema:

You have until 14 September to get objections to plans by the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG) to turn the Grade II* listed, historic EMD (formerly Granada) cinema on Hoe Street into a church forever. Please get your objection in urgently and make it count! Here’s how to do it in three quick steps…

1. Address your letter:

Objections need to be in writing or email to: The Planning Officer, Development Management, Sycamore House, Town Hall Complex, Forest Road, London, E17 4JF OR jon.price@walthamforest.gov.uk

Please make sure you include the application number (2009/1048 & 2009/1049/LB) and address of the EMD (186 Hoe Street, The Victoria Public House and 186A/186B Hoe Street, E17) in all correspondence.

Your objection must reach the council by 14 September to count. Please do not delay.

2. Make your letter count:

• By all means be passionate about the cinema, but please remain polite (and never abusive) to maximise the impact your letter will have on planning officers and the planning committee.
• Stick to planning grounds (see below for some examples). In particular, any personal views you have about the UCKG should not be included as they are not planning matters and will only lessen the impact your letter has with the people you want to persuade.
• Please use your own phrasing, style and experiences in making your objections – the more individual your letter is, the more impact it will have.

3. Some ideas on what to include:

You should express your own opinions and views in your own way – but please be aware that your comments must address legitimate planning concerns. Below are some ideas which could be included – select the ones you feel most comfortable using and remember to add your own.

• No change from the appeal: In 2003, the UCKG was refused permission for a change of use on the former Granada cinema by the Deputy Prime Minister. That decision can only be overturned if there is a “material” change in circumstances and there is not: Waltham Forest still has no cinema and, with no hope of development on the Arcade site in the short-to-medium term, no prospect of one either.
• Loss of the cinema: Despite the limited community facilities proposed in the application, the UCKG’s plans will permanently deprive the 225,000 residents of Waltham Forest of their only cinema. Waltham Forest already has over 200 places of worship.
• Listed status: According to Government planning guidelines, the first option for a Grade II* Listed building should be the purpose for which the building was designed, i.e. a cinema. The historical importance of the building, in a borough which was home to some of the first British film studios, and with its connections with Alfred Hitchcock – make the building unique. Its loss would deprive Waltham Forest of a major part of its heritage and potential tourism revenue.
• Viability: The building is viable as a cinema. It did not close because of falling attendances; but because the UCKG bought it. The Managing Director of the Picturehouse chain has declared they are interested in the building and that it could be viable as a cinema again. Picturehouse is the largest and most successful independent cinema chain in the UK and runs successful cinemas in similar listed buildings and areas – for example, the Ritzy in Brixton.
• Economic vitality of the area: A re-opened cinema would boost Walthamstow town centre’s night time economy. The UCKG’s plans will not. The Planning Inspector in the 2003 appeal visited the UCKG’s largest UK centre in Finsbury Park and said: “Nothing in the commercial life of that area appeared to benefit from the UCKG Helpcentre.”
• Duplication of facilities: The community facilities proposed by the UCKG would compete with facilities already available in the area. There is no shortage of cafes, restaurants, community rooms or meeting spaces in the immediate vicinity. The proposed performance space and screening room (the “Centre Hall”) would be in direct competition with the nearby Rose and Crown public house’s space. There is also no demand for a Christian bookshop in this area – a similar operation, at 150 Hoe Street, went out of business early in 2009 after less than a year’s trading.
• Management of community facilities: The UCKG’s proposals contain no guarantee that the community facilities will be managed independently. The UCKG proposes to set up its own management organisation comprising of one councillor, two members of the public and an unspecified number of UCKG representatives. This could see “community” facilities unusable by most of the community.
• Access to the main auditorium: The most renowned feature of the cinema is the main auditorium. Non-UCKG members would have almost no ability to enter this area, it would never be available for public hire. The UCKG state they will use it for special events and cite their use of the Finsbury Park Rainbow as an example. In the ten years the UCKG has owned the Rainbow, two films have been screened in its main auditorium.
• Lack of consultation: The UCKG have failed to engage with the people of Walthamstow in preparing plans – their exhibition ran for two days some distance away from the cinema. Materials didn’t use the word “church” and just one reference to “services”. Feedback forms only gave space to comment on restoration plans and community facilities – not on the application to change use from a cinema. The UCKG then submitted the application during summer holidays, when many residents will be away.
• Transport & parking: With four services a day, seven days a week, the scheme could massively worsen traffic and parking issues in an already busy area. The UCKG propose only to provide attendees information on public transport and encourage use of the Selbourne Walk car park – taking places intended for shoppers whose spending is essential to the local economy and who may go elsewhere if they are unable to park.

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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:

Scroll down to read about the leading cinema operator who has gone on record to say the EMD could easily be viable as a cinema (obviously the UCKG Pastor knows better than someone running 18 cinemas). The council itself also commissioned a report that stated a 5 screen EMD was both viable and feasible.

WILLOWFIELD SCHOOL

Council met to approve the planning brief (see PDF) for the proposed new Willowfield School at the top of the Douglas Eyre Sports fields.

Planning brief (PDF) / Summary of responses (PDF)

BAG have contacted all councillors to register stakeholders objections to the plan explicitly putting the case for higher than 3 story buildings and residential developments. We also reiterated residents objections to the proposed entrance on Hawarden Road and the planned one way rat run.

Here’s the summary of the meeting:

“Councillor Chris Robbins, Portfolio Holder for Children and Young People, informed Cabinet that there were currently no proposals to combine housing and educational provision on the site, but he pointed out that it was existing Council policy that the area was suitable and available for residential development.
He also stated that he did not envisage the proposed educational buildings on the site being more than three storeys in height, but said that this could not be ruled out until the detailed planning application for the scheme had been submitted.

Cabinet AGREED the draft planning brief for the Willowfield School, attached at Appendix A to the report.”

The EMD Cinema

Click the image to read a 2004 letter from Cllr. Loakes where he states “The council is committed to seeing the EMD Cinema coming back into use as a cinema providing it can be developed as a viable entity. It will use its CPO powers to purchase the building should this become necessary“.

Here’s what the council had to say on May 20th:

“The Council continues to have pre application discussion the UCKG. The UCKG have advised that a formal planning application is likely to be submitted within a month. It is intended that the local community will have access to parts of the building and it is certainly the applicant’s intention to retain and renovate this important listed building, which is now on the English Heritage “Buildings at Risk Register”.

It is clear that it is not in the best interests of the Town Centre for the building to remain disused and fall into further decay which is one of the reasons why the current proposals, which differ from those submitted in 2003, must be given careful consideration when the application is submitted.

The Council is statutorily obliged to respond to any application submitted for the building but cannot impose the inclusion of a cinema in the development proposals as the Council has no legal interest in the site. The applicant has stated that it is uneconomic to restore the building as a cinema venue but that there would be the opportunity to show film in one of the converted spaces, but this would be ancillary to other uses. However, as stated above plans for the adjoining Arcade site are progressing and presently intend the inclusion of a cinema, which will be accessible for all sections of the community”.

It should be noted that the building is on the “Buildings At Risk Register” because of an illegal rave that caused considerable damage. This took place after UCKG bought the cinema building, any “decay” has also taken place on the UCKG’s watch.

Given Cllr Loakes statement that “The council is committed to seeing the EMD Cinema coming back into use as a cinema providing it can be developed as a viable entity” Cllr James O’Rourke recently met with the cinema operators City Screen.

The Save Our Cinema campaign also reported on a host of intersted cinema operators who contradict the lies put forward by the UCKG in collusion with the council.

Text taken from Cllr James O’Rourke’s site:

High St councillor Cllr James O’Rourke met with representatives of City Screen at the Town Hall after the company expressed an ongoing interest in the building on Hoe Street. City Screen, which was formed in 1989 to “challenge the multiplex cinema model and provide cinemas in city centre locations”, have been responsible for a series of cinema regenerations and new build facilities across the country, including the Clapham Picturehouse and The Ritzy in Brixton.

At the meeting Lyn Goleby, the Managing Director of City Screen, suggested that with the right funding package the site was still viable as a cinema, highlighting earlier reports paid for by the Council that made the business case for a 5-screen cinema on the EMD site.

Lyn Goleby said:

“Our previous work has shown clearly that the redevelopment of historic cinema buildings, such as the former EMD in Walthamstow, can act as an organic catalyst for wider regeneration.

“These projects attract other businesses to the area and really stimulate the night time economy.”

Read more on Cllr O’Rourke’s blog.

Transition Films is showing The  Age of Stupid in Waltham Forest on Friday, 22nd May. Communities around the country are also holding screenings of the film at the same time to raise awareness about the effects of climate change.

Pete Postlethwaite stars as an old man living in the devastated world of 2055 and asking ‘Why didn’t we stop climate change while we had the chance?’

Screening details
Friday, 22nd May
The Asian Centre, Orford Road, Walthamstow Village, E17 9LN
(click link above for map: nearest train/tube: Walthamstow Central or Wood Street)
Doors open at 7pm; film starts at 7.30pm; 9.15pm -10pm opportunity for informal discussion
Tickets £4, available on the door

View the Age of Stupid trailer here: Age of Stupid trailer

Visit the Transition Films website for more.

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg visited Walthamstow last week to view the cinema building and arcade site.

Clegg said: “The Arcade site has been this great gaping hole in the middle of the community for such a long time.”

“This is made worse by the fact that there’s been such a lack of transparency about what decisions have been taken.”

He warned against the council “panicking” and rushing in new plans for the site.

“I think the best thing would be to find some communal use for that space on a temporary basis so that a proper sustainable solution can be reached.”

The Lib Dem leader also said he would welcome the EMD cinema being reopened as a cinema. With luck local Lib Dem councillors and candidates will now get off the fence and support the campaign to keep the EMD as a cinema. Many of their statements have presented the church’s plans as a fait-accomply, and the cinema as an impossible dream (despite the money needed for a compulsory purchase being wasted many times over on keeping the arcade site empty).

In a recent post on his blog Cllr James O’Rourke seems confused slamming Labour for “dashing all hopes of the EMD ever opening as an entertainment venue again” but then quoting the UCKG as saying “If there’s a viable option, similar to that of the Ritzy Cinema in Brixton and the Hackney Empire, the UCKG could relocate to a similar building such as the one in Buxton Road. If there is a viable proposal we are willing to consider it. Our door is open.”

OTHER REPORTS ON THE PROTEST

Walthamstow Guardian coverage as “600 residents protest at council plans”

McGuffins organised the vigil and took pictures on the night

BBC News report on “Fight to save Hitchcock cinema”

Telegraph piece on the fight to “save cinema where Alfred Hitchcock saw first films”

The Independent tell the story of “Hitchcocks Old Gem”

This Is London report on protests to stop church that believes “illnesses are caused by “demons” that must be exorcised”

The London Paper on the “council’s desperate to rush the plan through”

MORE NEWS ON EMD FIGHT
The Archipelago of Truth accuses local politicians like Stella Creasy of using the “deceptive little politician’s phrase “open for the use of all the local community” which is “not the same as having a cinema as envisaged by the McGuffins, ie the EMD restored in all its glory and showing flicks in the main hall in all its glory“.  BAG notes that under the UCKG plans the building would not be open to all the community (unless of course they want to go to a church service).

Visit the UCKG message boards to read their enlightened views on the dangers of homosexual and Muslim members of the community!!
No you havent clicked on the BNP site by mistake, these are the views Labour & the Lib Dems prefer to the repeatedly expressed wish of Walthamstow residents for the building to remain a church.

UCKG PR company sets out plans for EMD Cinema here

Obviously they intend to make sweeping changes to their plans based on feedback from residents as they’ve set aside 9 days before formally submitting the planning application to the council.

If all goes to plan and the council in collusion with the UCKG have their way in saying FCUK to the residents of Walthamstow, work will begin in August.

Its worth noting again that the plans were comprehensively rejected 4 years ago by residents and the government, and only last month 400 residents turned up to say NO, while presenting their own alternatives. Tony Benn, and former residents Meera Syal and actor Tony Robinson have expressed their support for retaining the cinema.

Many other boroughs have thriving small cinemas, but our council believes what we need instead is a church with “many years of dealing with issues of demon possession and deliverance“. They also have a record of promising community groups access but strictly limiting it once the plans are given the green light.

Now the council are rushing through plans to allow the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God full use of the building as a church and training rooms. Even in late March, 400 people gathered to send the message that Walthamstow didn’t need a church in that building it needed its cinema back.

The UCKG is having an “exhibition” (well they know what the answer to a consultation would be) which will be open for a grand total of 7.5 hours.

UCKG EMD exhibition
Thursday 16 (5:30-8pm) – Friday 17 (4-8pm) April 2009
St. Gabriel’s Church and Family Centre, Havant Road.

They say they will take residents’ opinions into account, so don’t be shy. Do challenge them on whatever you care about. That could include: why the building’s so poorly maintained;whether the proposed community space will be affordable and uncensored;how much non-church users could access the main auditorium for films/performances; and their willingness to trade the cinema for an alternative venue.

This Saturday there is a demonstration outside the EMD/Granada cinema 186 Hoe Street. SATURDAY 18 APRIL AT 8PM

This will be followed by a free film and social event at the Victoria Bar next door to the EMD Cinema. Various short films featuring the EMD and Alfred Hitchcock will be screened alongside some fascinating and revealing footage of particular pertinence to the current campaign.

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The UCKG say this application is different to the rejected plans because they will be providing a space for community hire within the church. In the past when community’s have bought this line they have quickly found out that the space is tiny and there are strict restrictions on what can be shown or who can meet there. The “community” has made clear what they want and that the area needs a cinema in the building more than it needs a church specialising in “dealing with issues of demon possession and deliverance“. There are other far more suitable buildings with parking capable of dealing with the huge numbers that attend the UCKG.

I doubt for instance that films like “Brokeback Mountain” would be permitted to screen in the UCKG community space and if I was a Muslim community group I wouldn’t hold my breath for use. The UCKG Helpcentre message boards are an interesting read, although at first I thought I’d clicked on the BNP discussions by mistake.
The forum is full of “news” on the terrible things gays and Muslims are upto, homosexual marriage and Libraries bowing to Muslim wishes, that kind of thing.

At a recent meeting 400 residents proposed a compromise plan whereby UCKG would relinquish control of the EMD in exchange for new conference facilities to be built as part of the Arcade redevelopment.

URGENT COUNCIL CONSULTATION

The council would like residents feedback on plans to site Willowfield school at the top of the Douglas Eyre playing fields.
Visit the Building Schools for the Future consultation here to give them your views.
As usual with council consultations they’ve waited until less than a week before the closing date to send details to residents!

The consultation closes on the 12th of January.

Here’s what this months BSF bullitin says on the subject:

Following the request from the Governing Body further to pursue the possibility of a site at the current Douglas Eyre Playing Field, discussions have been held with the owners (London Playing Fields Foundation), the adjoining housing developers and the Greater London Authority over the constraints within which use of part of the field might be acceptable. A Project Manager has been identified, and the next steps are to commission planning advisers and various other consultancies to support the development of a revised proposal.

LATEST ON THE TOWER BLOCKS
Thank you very much for all your support with the housing campaign Blackhorse Action Group Residents Association (BAG) started this year. We received emails and comments from over 150 residents unhappy with developers plans to build 10 blocks of flats up-to 23 storeys high on the site right behind Blackhorse Road tube station overlooking the Douglas Eyre playing fields.

In the last few months BAG members have raised the residents concerns and have met many councillors and the regeneration officer for Blackhorse Lane. BAG have also maintained correspondence with English Partnerships who own most of the land the tower blocks would be built on.

BAG distributed leaflets at the tube station and through residents doors spelling out the sheer height and density of the plan. English Partnerships developers went on to change their plans twice only to receive negative feedback from the Commission for Architecture and Built Environment each time.

In late October, we tried to organise a meeting with English Partnerships. The response from them was: “All plans are slowing at the moment given the market and local context. We’ll come back to you when it’s a bit clearer what our aspirations for the site are” (English Partnerships)

A few weeks ago in a meeting with Cllr Terry Wheeler (Cabinet Member for Investment and Enterprise) BAG members discovered plans for the blocks of flats were “no longer an option”. Cllr Wheeler stated on the record the 23 storey towers had been scrapped. He went on to say that the most likely option for the site would be a new home for an expanded Willowfield School.

BAG is still waiting for official confirmation on this. At the time of the meeting the council was still in negotiations to acquire the site.

We’ll never know whether it was BAG’s campaigning and the massive response from residents outraged at this inappropriate development that stopped our skyline being overshadowed by vast tower blocks or if it was simply a consequence of the collapse in the housing market. Either way we’d like to thank residents for all their help, and feedback to both us AND the council.

Clearly this is not the end of the story, as the Arcade site at the top of the market enters its sixth year as a boarded up wasteland, its clear that even if the council acquires the site, they may not do the right thing by us as residents. We will renew our argument that any development on BHL2 should have mixed facilities for the local community. So far however we’ve got the strong impression the Council thinks this is very unlikely. So, one battle won but a big fight still looming.

TESCO EXPRESS
Opinion seems divided on plans for a Tesco Express store on the former site of the Essex Arms on Forest Road (2-3 minutes walk from Blackhorse Road tube).

The proposed store would have 9 car parking spaces, secure bays for 14 bikes and would be open between 7am and 11pm. Debate has raged over whether this will decimate local business’s and destroy diversity or whether it’s actually a good use of a derelict site.

LATEST NEWS: Tesco appear to have withdrawn their application for the site (link). Have they changed their mind about the store or are they reapplying? BAG will try and find out more.

EMD CINEMA UPDATE
Liberal Democrat Councillor, James O’Rourke contacted BAG to inform us the council are in talks with UKCG about a new planning application for the building. In 2003, in response to the demands of Walthamstow residents the government denied UCKG permission to convert the building into a church. In the 5 years that have followed nothing has changed at either the EMD or Arcade site. Will the church be given permission despite this clear ruling?

Cllr. O’Rourke, along with an English Heritage representative and the Council’s Conservation Officer visited the cinema recently and found it in a “sorry state”. Councillor O’Rourke commented that he was “encouraged plans are now being made to use the EMD”.

ST. JAMES STREET LIBRARY
A final open air library was held in December outside the former St James Street Library building. Despite being closed without warning or consultation the council has been steadfast in its refusal to reconsider.

Back in October a meeting of the Walthamstow West community council descended into chaos after councillors blocked plans for a feasibility study on reinstating the library, instead opting for a new plan for a scout hut.
Councillors refused to discuss the decision using a microphone so all could hear as requested, and in the end rejected the plan with Cllr James O’Rourke pointing out it was against council procedure. (Read the chair’s reflections on the meeting here.)

And so what was once a valued local library of vital use, in particular to the elderly and the young now has boarded up windows. Instead of educating the community the empty building now contributes to its decline with street drinkers and drug users replacing readers and families on the bench outside.

THE NORTH LONDON WASTE PLAN (NLWP)
Residents Against Pollution are tentatively reporting that plans for an Incinerator at Blackhorse Lane have been scrapped.

RAP’s website states “Though we only have verbal hints at this stage, it looks like Blackhorse Lane is now unlikely to be chosen as a new waste site. We are trying to get something in writing, and we won’t know for sure till the “preferred options” stage of the consultation process is reached in May, when it will be clear whether Blackhorse Lane is still an option.”

WALTHAMSTOW GOD STADIUM
Walthamstow Dog track sits empty as the housing collapse hits its developers (even though they claimed to be altruistically building “affordable homes”). While offers to buy or lease the track back for dog racing – even in the short term – have been blanked by developers, Kingsway International Christian Church were given permission to use the track for a huge New Year’s Eve service. 15,000 people were predicted to attend the event which was broadcast live to 217 countries on the God Channel.

Meanwhile the SaveOurStow campaign continues despite a letter from the new owners L&Q dismissing the views of all those that love the track along with all offers put forward to buy the stadium. No planning application for the site has yet been made. Rumours have emerged of an American consortium who already own dog tracks and have a successful record of developing multi-function commercial sites who intend to start talks with London and Quadrant to acquire the site in the very near future.
Perhaps the sights and sounds of race night may yet return? Although don’t hold your breath.

If you haven’t seen it already BAG found some old Walthamstow Dogs footage from 1937, 1968 and 1986 down the back of the sofa, so we put together a 30 minute video tribute to “The Stow” through the ages.

Watch “The Soul of Walthamstow: 75 years of ‘The Stow’” here.

KICK OUT KIER
Six months after getting the money saving contract to clean Walthamstow’s streets and complaints about the Kier group’s service continue. The Waltham Forest Guardian reports that the “Row continues over borough’s filthy streets” and our “dirty and “neglected” playgrounds”.

There’s even a flickr group for people to send pictures of any rubbish strewn streets.
Kier also hold the contract for a mixed use redevelopment of Walthamstow Tube Station.

OTHER NEWS
Radio 5 Live visited Walthamstow market – Listen to their broadcast here
Hate all the “To-Let” Signs left long after properties have been rented out – Get rid of them here.

BAG WEBSITE
Last but not least for all the latest news and to discuss local issues keep visiting the BAG Blog.

Once again thank you very much to all residents for their support.

Happy New Year!!!

BAG.

“New York, New York, It’s a wonderful town” (youtube clip)

Walthamstow Town Centre’s the place to be on Saturday the 12th July for a free open air big screen showing of the classic Hollywood musical “On The Town“.

Starring Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, Betty Garrett and the music of Leonard Bernstein, it features some of Hollywood’s most celebrated dance sequences and routines. The film follows the exploits of three young sailors looking for love on an eventful day’s shore leave in New York.

The event will commence with a live appearance by the John Garfield Swing Band performing classic songs of the period including their own tribute to Frank Sinatra.

Bring blankets, picnics, friends and dancing shoes for a relaxed evening of movie magic under the stars of Waltham Forest! A licensed bar will be available on site.

For more info visit the McGuffins website.