The Thomas Moore Hall (116A Lordship Lane) is owned by the local Roman Catholic church. In 2011 they closed it as a community centre and have been consulting their congregation and considering what to use this site for next. They’ve had one interested party obtain planning permission for a nursery. But their latest thinking is to have a cinema.
We think this is a great idea – do you?
Picturehouse Cinemas, who run the Ritzy in Brixton, are interested and so are Curzon Cinemas and Everyman. I’ve spoken to all three groups. A cinema again in East Dulwich, but especially on Lordship Lane, could give the area a real boost seeing more money spent locally. Clearly it needs to be sensitively done to avoid parking issues. It’s likely to be busiest when most shops are closed which should help.
Please do tell us if you do or don’t want a cinema in East Dulwich and why?
I would like to see a Picturehouse cinema in ED/LL. I have been to the one in Greenwich and like the fact that they show Independant and Arthouse films as well as contempory new releases. I agree that it would be a boost for the community. What sort of time scales are we talking about here? This week, next week, Sometime or never. Like the long, long wait for the new library/community centre in Grove Vale? I do hope not.
Hi James.
I live in Ulverscroft Road and can think of nothing more exciting than to have a cinema in Lordship Lane.
I regularly travel to the Greenwich Playhouse, so to have one at the end of the road just seems to good to be true.
Also glad that there is competition from other cinema companies, so hopefully will keep them all on their toes!
And also glad that we are talking about the independent companies rather than a new Odeon!
All the best with it all.
Vic 🙂
I think this is a great idea for a lovely building. I think turning it into a nursery is a waste and would limit its use to a smaller section of the community, there are a lot of people in ED who don’t have kids and who don’t want to go to bars/pubs only.. A cinema would open LL up to a wider market bringing visitors into the area as a destination spot especially if its an independent. A nursery on a busy lane doesn’t seem wise for pick up/drop offs, and would leave it underused on weekends and school breaks.
Cinema all the way.
I think a cinema in Lordship Lane would be an enormous boost to the area but I do think it needs to be planned with a view to minimising the parking problems – as residents in the streets around Lordship Lane already know, street parking disappears most of the day and evening on weekdays – East Dulwich really needs its own proper car park.
My hope is that majority of customers will be local and walk. Most custom would porbably be during the evenings when parking isnt as severe with shops closed. I do think it would chang the atmosphere of Lordship Lane in the evenings. It owuld also provide under 18’s with a social destination locally. Hopefully with a cafe they can frequent.
Any further developments on the Lordship Lane cinema?
Vic 🙂
What a fabulous development. I actually can’t believe it’s taken this long for Dulwich to get its own cinema, I pray it goes through, how lovely it would be for everyone, especially the young uns! A gift to the neighbourhood. What is the latest on this? How close are we to actually seeing it happen?