Picturehouse tops Playtower poll

The people have spoken - and they demand a cinema.

On November 15th, the Mayor of Lewisham will meet with his cabinet to discuss the four bids to redevelop the Ladywell Playtower.

Two cinema chains (Picturehouse and Curzon), a property consortium (RJK Properties / Copeland Park and Hillman) and Goldsmiths College have submitted plans.

A public consultation has been running since the summer and, when asked, the public chose fun. In the public vote, the Picturehouse bid (below) came first, followed by Curzon, RJK and Goldsmiths.

Picturehouse wants to develop a 5-screen, 620 seat cinema, with café and bar space. The main cinema space would be included within the existing fabric of the pool hall while a two-storey building would be built to the rear of the building to accommodate four more screens.  Curzon offers two fewer screens but includes a residential component.

In the public feedback, Goldsmiths' proposal was not deemed to offer enough benefit to the wider community, while the RJK 'cultural quarter' left people wondering what it was supposed to be or how it would be delivered.

Any of the bids would deliver a boost for the area and breathe welcome new life into an important building, but the Picturehouse bid would be transformative for Ladywell.

Thanks to Ladywell Paul for the prompt.