Council Rejects EMD Cinema Planning Application

On Wednesday 18 May Waltham Forest Council voted to reject the planning application from the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG) aimed at converting Walthamstow’s EMD Cinema into a place of worship.

Amidst unprecedented scenes, more than 700 people attended the planning committee meeting at Walthamstow Assembly Hall to hear the debate and witness the vote – with at least a further 250 people unable to gain access to the building due to overcrowding.

The decision to reject the UCKG planning application was unanimous and supported by all political parties.

Following the meeting Council leader Chris Robbins said “There’s a lot of support for retaining the building as a cultural venue and I am sure many residents will be delighted with the decision. Should UCKG decide to appeal we will, of course, defend our decision”.

Stella Creasy, MP for Walthamstow, said “UCKG’s proposal to turn the EMD Cinema into a church has now been rejected twice, demonstrating the clear and settled will of the residents of Walthamstow that they wish to see this building restored as a cinema. But I am all too aware that we’ve been here before and it would be a travesty if the current owners of the site were now able to continue holding on to a precious piece of Walthamstow’s heritage and allow it to deteriorate further without consequences. Those of us who cherish the history of the building and are ambitious for its future role in our community will not rest until it is saved”.

A BBC news report can be found here. Evening Standard news reports can be found here and here. A report from the Waltham Forest Guardian can be found here.

Campaign Summary

The EMD Cinema closed in 2003 when it was purchased by the controversial Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG) who intended to convert it for religious use. Following a massive local campaign led by the McGuffin Film Society, the government held a Public Inquiry which ruled that the building remained commercially viable as a cinema and should not be converted into a church. Despite receiving at least 12 offers from potential buyers, UCKG declined to sell the building and instead left it empty.

At the beginning of 2009 it was confirmed that UCKG were proposing a new scheme to convert the historic venue into a church. The new proposals would see the vast majority of the site used exclusively as a church with some space in the former Upstairs Circle area of Cinema 1 adapted to create a small venue which UCKG claim would eventually be available for community hire at commercial rates. The adjoining carpet shop and Victoria pub would also be closed and converted into UCKG ‘training rooms’ and ‘youth centre’.

In March 2009 more than 400 residents gathered to discuss the new proposals at a public meeting in Walthamstow organised by the McGuffin Film Society. 100% of those in attendance voted in favour of reviving the EMD as a cinema. Full details of the public meeting can be found here.

The following month UCKG held an exhibition of their plans which prompted a huge demonstration outside the EMD Cinema attended by over 600 local residents and attracting coverage from the national press, television and radio. Messages of support were also received from a number of celebrities (see below).

Shortly afterwards, several high profile cinema operators went on the record to confirm their ongoing interest in reviving the EMD. Read their statements here. UCKG’s new planning application was eventually published in August 2009 and a Day of Action was organised by the McGuffin Film Society to enable residents to register their objections to the scheme. Campaigners also presented a detailed planning submission to the council. More than 1000 local residents sent written objections to the council for consideration as part of the planning process.

In 2010 council leader Chris Robbins commissioned a team of independent consultants to assess the viability of reviving the EMD as a place of entertainment. The consultants met with representatives of UCKG, the council and the McGuffin Film Society to examine all sides of the cinema debate. Their report firmly endorsed the cinema’s regeneration and would play a critical role in the council’s decision to reject UCKG’s planning application. Full details about the report can be found here. The report’s recommendations also led directly to the formation of Waltham Forest Cinema Trust, a not-for-profit organisation which hopes to acquire the EMD building for cinema use if an agreement can be reached.

A brief history of the EMD Cinema can be found here. A detailed history of the campaign can be found here.

Click the link to see film footage of the Town Hall protest, the planning meeting and the decision itself.