Three-screen cinema, bar and food market coming to Deptford from Backyard Cinema
A consultation has begun on plans to create a three-screen cinema at Huntsman House in Deptford for a period of seven years.
Backyard Cinema plan to open at a warehouse unit in Deptford located off Evelyn Street. A food court and bar would be located at the venue.
A number of initiatives are planned including “pay-what-you-can tickets for local residents every Wednesday, offer 20% discounts on food and drink, invites to opening nights and offer the use of the space for community organisations when we are not in use or showing films. We also want to show free screenings for Lewisham NHS workers to celebrate their efforts over the Covid pandemic.”
Other ideas include 500 free tickets a year for children excluded from school and three free school screenings per month with up to 8,400 free tickets per year.
Operators hope to submit a planning application next month, start works in the autumn if approved then open in March 2022.
Now if only developers behind a nearby 1,132-home project got a move on they’d be extra local custom for the venture. Six years after starting work at Timberyard a.k.a Deptford Landings, developer Lendlease built on less than a quarter of the site before stopping. That was despite asking Lewisham council to use Compulsory Purchase Order powers in 2017 to clear business from part of the site now lying empty.
Backyard Cinema have previously operated a cinema in Wandsworth. They plan to move the Head Office to Deptford with 180 jobs created in total across the cinema, food stalls, bar and HQ.
The resurgence of cinemas shows no sign of stopping. Work is now underway at a new Lewisham cinema as well as one in Sidcup. Eltham recently saw a cinema open, and Woolwich could see two. One is planned at the Spray Street development and another at the Island Site – though that is now up for sale.
While most of those are part of chains, the Deptford prospect looks to offer a bespoke and interesting experience.
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sounds cool Murky, and not even a high rise haha! (though only for 7 years, so they’ll probably build 50 stories by then and pass it without a problem.)
Guess you mean opening March 2022 though, not 2021! Cheers and lets hope this gets approval, might even show some indie UK and foreign films and those from small British film makers.
Is this one of the places where you have to drive round for a month before you find a parking space? Don’t say get public transport as I am disabled.
Being close to a bus stop is a plus, but the location is unlovely and given there is a cinema complex at Surrey Quays I am wondering how viable it will be really?
I like the look of the cinema for Lewisham.
It will be quite different to the Odeon at Surrey Quays. From my experience of the one near Elephant & Castle (which I think was run by the same company), it’s quite casual, the seating was bean bags and sofas, and they played mainly classic films rather than the newest stuff. I think they do more “immersive” events such as sing-a-longs, and they decorate the room to suit the film being shown.
It’s currently an industrial site, in an area where McDonalds and the busy road already make it quite noisy and unpleasant so I can only see that this will have a positive impact on the area. Along with the recently reopened Victoria pub on Grove Street there might finally be some good entertainment on offer in the local area.
Cannot wait for it to be part of the neighbourhood