The Public Inquiry to determine the fate of Walthamstow’s historic  EMD Cinema has been shelved.

Government officials were due to hold the Inquiry next month to consider the Appeal by building owners the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG) following last year’s decision by Waltham Forest Council to refuse permission for the venue to be converted for religious use.

But in a last minute move, UCKG has unveiled amended proposals which include a new cinema as part of their plan for the EMD site.

Inspectors have ruled the amendments effectively amount to a new scheme and have cancelled the Public Inquiry and instructed UCKG to submit an updated Planning Application to the council by the end of May. The latest proposals would see the venue reconfigured as a church, training centre, cafe and cinema.

While any new Planning Application must be considered on its merits, the McGuffin Film Society is urging councillors and local residents to treat promises of cinema provision on the site with extreme caution: UCKG employed a similar tactic at a previous Planning Appeal in 2005 where they were granted permission to convert Catford’s ABC Cinema (pictured above) into a place of worship after a last minute pledge to include a community cinema in their scheme. More than seven years later, the former picturehouse operates as a fully fledged UCKG church but no cinema facilities have ever been provided. 

Waltham Forest residents will be able to comment on UCKG’s latest plans for the EMD during a statutory public consultation period which will take place once the new Planning Application has been verified by the local authority. If UCKG and the council cannot reach agreement on the new scheme the Public Inquiry will be rescheduled towards the end of the year.

Further details will be posted here shortly.

UCKG and Catford 

In 2004, UCKG purchased the former ABC Cinema in Catford with the intention of converting it into a church. Despite significant local opposition, planning permission was eventually granted for a similar ‘compromise’ solution during a Planning Appeal in 2005 after UCKG gave assurances that a portion of the building would be used as a ‘community cinema’.  An independent cinema operator was engaged to run this ‘community cinema’ at the site while UCKG developed the remaining portion of the building for church use.

The independent cinema operator has since told the McGuffin Film Society that UCKG “became extremely uncooperative as soon as their planning permission was approved” and the cinema plan was eventually scrapped when the operator walked away “in disgust”.  The former ABC Cinema reopened as a fully fledged UCKG church in 2006 and no community cinema facilities were ever developed at the site, much to the annoyance of Lewisham Council and local residents.

Further details about the Catford case can be found here, here and here.

The popular McGuffins Film and TV Quiz Night will return on Saturday 2 June 2012 to the Rose & Crown pub, 55 Hoe Street, London E17.

Come and test your knowledge of the film and TV greats to win a selection of prizes including cinema tickets, books, DVDs and movie memorabilia. £50 cash first prize with further cash prizes for second and third places. All welcome. Admission £1.50. Click here for more details.

“possibly the biggest quiz in London” – TIME OUT

The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG) has launched an ‘eleventh hour’ planning Appeal in a last ditch attempt to convert Walthamstow’s EMD Cinema for religious use.

The planning application aimed at converting the EMD into a place of worship was finally rejected by Waltham Forest Council in May last year following a long campaign by the McGuffin Film Society and local residents (see below for full details). The new Appeal means the case will now be reconsidered by government planning inspectors who have the power to overturn the local authority decision and grant permission for the church scheme – if they can be persuaded of its merits.

Councillors and senior council officers are now likely to be forced to defend their decision at a Public Inquiry which is currently expected to take place in June 2012.

Full details about the forthcoming Public Inquiry will be posted on this website shortly.

You can now join the McGuffin Film Society or donate to the EMD Cinema campaign online using your credit card, debit card or Paypal account. 

Click here for details of how to join up online.

Waltham Forest Cinema Trust is a not-for-profit independent organisation and registered company which aims to buy, restore and reopen the EMD Cinema as a place of entertainment for the benefit of the whole community.

Waltham Forest Cinema Trust was created in 2011 in direct response to the recommendations found in the council-commissioned Locum Consultants Report which examined the viability of reviving the EMD. The Trust is developing a strong business model for the revived venue which would be financially self-sustaining.

Curzon Cinemas, Phil McIntyre Entertainments and local company Eat 17 have all expressed interest in being part of this new business venture which would see the EMD reinvented as a mixed-use entertainment centre with cinema at the core of its activities.

The Trust’s directors boast strong links to the community, excellent fundraising experience and a track record of delivering similar projects. The Trustees include two West End theatre directors, a professional fundraiser, a member of the Bernstein family (who built the cinema in 1930) and Walthamstow’s former MP.

Waltham Forest Cinema Trust is ready to open negotiations to purchase the EMD Cinema from the current owners, UCKG, and recognises that extensive restoration and refurbishment is needed to bring the building back into use.

Waltham Forest Council has supported Waltham Forest Cinema Trust by jointly funding a study aimed at developing the full business plan to secure the EMD’s regeneration.

Cllr Chris Robbins, leader of Waltham Forest Council, said: “There is a tremendous amount of grassroots support for bringing the building back into use as a cultural venue and I’m glad to be able to lend my wholehearted support to Waltham Forest Cinema Trust.”

Waltham Forest Cinema Trust has appointed award-winning architects and an experienced consultancy team to help draw up their detailed plans.

RIBA Stirling Prize-winning firm Ian Ritchie Architects Ltd has been commissioned to produce a scheme to restore the prestigious Grade II* listed building using the latest state of the art technology.

A new consultancy team is also in place with a vast range of experience from across the arts and leisure industries. The team includes:

Richard Oyarzabal an experienced senior manager and producer in the cultural and events sector who is currently working with Franko B and Eclipse Theatre. Richard was previously chief executive of The Junction,Cambridge (2007 – 2011).

Bryan Savery a freelance arts executive and producer, currently producer for Somerset House and associate producer for Peshkar Productions.

Kully Thiarai an independent theatre director, arts consultant and strategist who is currently UK and international tour director for Wired Aerial Theatre and interim executive producer/business planning consultant for Quarantine.

Graham Devlin OBE the former Deputy Secretary General and Acting Chief Executive of Arts Council England (ACE) and Artistic Director/Chief Executive of Major Road Theatre Company. Graham works with a huge range of organisations including the RSC, National Theatre, Theatre Royal Stratford East, Battersea Arts Centre, Glasgow Citizens and the Festival City Theatres Trust in Edinburgh.

The new team of consultants will work with the Trustees to develop a full business and funding model to regenerate the EMD as a first class entertainment and cultural centre if ownership of the building can be secured.

Meanwhile, the Trust has also developed a formal partnership with Soho Theatre, a successful central London arts and entertainment venue which caters for audiences in excess of 150,000 each year. Soho Theatre is providing practical support and guidance on fundraising and the Trust’s ambitious plans to re-establish live performance as a key element of a revived EMD.

For more information visit Waltham Forest Cinema Trust’s website .

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.

Vertigo Magazine has published an in-depth article about the EMD Cinema.

The article examines the cinema’s history and the campaign to secure its future. You can read the article here.

The latest issue of Snipe – London’s independent music, art and culture magazine – contains a new article about the EMD Cinema campaign.

Snipe is available free from a wide range of venues across the capital. The EMD Cinema article can also be read online here.

    

ROLLING STONES legend Mick Jagger has joined a host of stars backing the McGuffin campaign to save Waltham Forest’s EMD Cinema.

In a statement he 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 launch British popular music onto a world stage and should continue to function as places of entertainment and enjoyment. It’s heartbreaking to hear such a beautiful, important historical building and centre of entertainment is 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.”

A number of other high profile supporters have recently come forward to back the campaign.

Actor and comedian Alan Davies – star of ‘Jonathan Creek’ and a regular celebrity panelist on the BBC’s long running ‘Q.I.’ – was born in nearby Loughton and attended school in Woodford Green. He travelled to Walthamstow regularly throughout his childhood and teenage years to watch films at the EMD and has fond memories of the cinema.

“I was shocked to hear of the possible demise of the beautiful Granada Cinema in Walthamstow,” he said. “I spent many happy hours there as a child and find it extraordinary that its preservation as a cinema for local people is not a priority in the borough of Waltham Forest. With the recent demise of the dog track and now this news, it seems the protection of the area’s historic and cultural landmarks is in the wrong hands.”

Award winning actress and screenwriter Meera Syal MBE once lived near the cinema and has also offered her support to the campaign.

“I’ve spent many happy hours in this stunningly beautiful building over the years,” said Meera Syal. “The Walthamstow cinema has a rare touch of glamour and it would be an absolute tragedy if the film lovers of east London were to be permanently deprived of this beautiful jewel of a cinema”.

‘Blackadder’ and ‘Time Team’ star Tony Robinson grew up in Leytonstone and was a regular visitor to the EMD throughout his youth. He was mortified to hear about the latest threat to the venue.

“The cinema is an exotic masterpiece,” said Tony Robinson. “It’s where my teenage eyes were opened to the great jazz and rock ‘n roll artists of the 1960s and where I saw a host of great movies. At this exciting time in our history when east London is about to be revitalised, it would be crazy to turn our backs on such a magnificent venue. If not for our sakes, then for the sake of the next generation of film and music lovers, let’s ensure it is given the opportunity to reclaim its place as the hub of Walthamstow’s high-class entertainment”.

TV comedian and presenter Griff Rhys Jones has also thrown his weight behind efforts to save the venue.

The Welsh-born star is currently appearing as Fagin in the musical ‘Oliver’ at Drury Lane but it was in Walthamstow where he first fell in love with the world of entertainment. Griff Rhys Jones grew up in Epping and was a regular visitor to Walthamstow’s cinema where he saw numerous films throughout his childhood.

“We will realise that we have lost something wonderful and magical if this cinema goes and it will only slip away if we don’t raise our voices to stop that happening,” he said. “I am an Epping boy and Walthamstow was my stomping ground. This is a great place and a great place to watch films. These grand cinemas are becoming rarer. They were the cathedrals of their age and still have a role to play”.

Griff Rhys Jones has been joined by actor Paul McGann in pledging his support to the EMD campaign.

“The planning officers should do the right thing and ensure the borough does not lose its last working cinema,” said Paul McGann. “It would be nothing short of a cultural disgrace if this was allowed to happen and would underline why our nearest European neighbours regard us as philistines”.

David Warner is an Emmy-award winning actor with a career spanning more than four decades. His extensive film credits include ‘Star Trek’, ‘Titanic’, ‘The Omen’, ‘Time Bandits’ and ‘Straw Dogs’ and he is well known for his long association with the Royal Shakespeare Company. He is calling on local councillors to reject plans to alter the cinema.

“It’s essential for our future that we do not destroy the treasures of our past,” he said. “This building saw the beginning of something we now take for granted – the shared experience of cinema. Please allow it to remain for that purpose – a place of memories and dreams”.

 The writer and philosopher Alain de Botton has also contacted the McGuffin Film Society to express his backing for the EMD. The bestselling author of ‘The Architecture of Happiness’ is a vocal advocate of preserving classic London buildings and he hit the headlines last year after becoming the first writer-in-residence at Heathrow Airport.

“The EMD Cinema was built to promote happiness, culture and entertainment for the benefit of the whole community,” he said. “I fully support the McGuffin campaign to save the cinema and share their wish to see it reopened as a flagship arts venue for east London”.

In addition, David Parfitt – chairman of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) – has issued a statement in support of the venue’s revival.

“The cinema should be at the heart of the community,” he said. “Film is open to all regardless of religion or ethnicity and seeing a great film in a great cinema is one of the best community experiences you can have. Don’t let another great picture palace die”.

Chingford MP and Work and Pensions Minister Iain Duncan Smith has joined Walthamstow MP Stella Creasy in pledging support to the revival of the historic Hoe Street landmark.

“Its time this cinema reopened,” said Iain Duncan Smith. “From my standpoint in Chingford this is our local cinema. With cinema tickets selling at record levels, it would be good for the community and good for Waltham Forest if it was revived”.  

Veteran politician, broadcaster and historian Tony Benn has also sent a message to confirm his opposition to the current UCKG-council plan.

“I offer 100% support against the vandalism that is being planned,” said Tony Benn.

Other supporters of the McGuffin campaign include former London Mayor Ken Livingstone and Alfred Hitchcock’s daughter Patricia.

An Evening Standard news report can be found here.

The new documentary ‘Alfred Hitchcock in East London’ is now available as a limited edition DVD.

‘Alfred Hitchcock in East London’ explores the legendary director’s mysterious early days and uncovers many lesser known facts about his formative years.

Retracing Hitchcock’s footsteps around Leytonstone, Limehouse, Stratford and Hackney, the film reveals how his early London life profoundly influenced his later work. The documentary also examines Hitchcock’s associations with the long forgotten Walthamstow film industry and tells the previously untold story of his support for an East London cinema during the height of his Hollywood fame.

The film identifies the key sites from the director’s youth which still exist today and features contributions from Roy Ward Baker (assistant director, ‘The Lady Vanishes’), Charles Barr (author of the seminal ‘English Hitchcock’), veteran actor Murray Melvin and numerous others. It paints a portrait of Hitchcock and his roots which is radically different to previous biographies and documentaries.

“a fascinating insight” – Boris Johnson, Mayor of London.

“a rarely seen side of the master which is often conveniently ignored in favour of his later Hollywood success” – USA Today.

DVD Special Features: 40-minute Alfred Hitchcock audio interview, ‘Working with Hitch – The Memories of Roy Ward Baker’ featurette, ‘The Lost Cinemas of Limehouse and Leytonstone’ featurette, ‘Zeppelins over London’ featurette, ‘Hitchcock’s Leytonstone Today’ stills featurette, ‘BBC Big Screen – The EMD Cinema’ featurette, ‘The Story of Aventure Malgache’ stills featurette.

Scroll down to see a TV news report and the latest reviews of ‘Alfred Hitchcock in East London’.

The DVD can now be purchased from  or send a cheque / postal order for £10 payable to ‘McGuffin’ to: The McGuffin Film Society, 458 Hoe Street, London E17 9AH.

 TV news report and latest reviews below.

http://www.hertfordshiremercury.co.uk/hertfordshiremercury-leisure/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=430002

http://www.wharf.co.uk/2009/06/film-reveals-hitchcocks-east-e.html