CINEMA NON VERITE!

Dear Dame,

Yesterday RBKC held its second Microsoft Teams major planning committee meeting.

This was to rubber-stamp the developer’s latest amendments to the controversial Kensington Odeon site.

It seems strange to me that this is being sold as some kind of victory for the greater good.

AND it feels disingenuous for the developer to spin that what is to be built is somehow the result of genuinely listening  to the local community and to a campaign led by local activists, amenity groups and residents to Save the 1926 Kensington Odeon (of which all that remains

is the façade)

Certainly, A new cinema is being built (the latest variant is 1000 M2 less than previously agreed) and not on the site of the original (despite misleading images in the press and on the hoardings outside the site for over a year) but next door under the former post office.

Misleading Imagery On Building Hoarding
for over a year

Now, we are told that this space will be a brasserie or restaurant (although this is not conditioned) and I suspect that the developer will use this as the entrance foyer to the luxury apartments as per imagery in the Savills property brochure below which looks distinctly like an apartment lobby to me......

Savills Brochure Image

There are socially rented units in this scheme, but 30 instead of the 70 + recommended in RBKC and GLA guidelines and the council has granted additional height and square footage to the developer in order to achieve this.

We should not forget that our council has been complicit in the demise of what was a much-loved community asset and a significant landmark building.

One former councillor who deserves a special mention here is Daniel Moylan who accepted regular hospitality from Peter Bingle of Terrapin Communications (the former head of PR for the previous developer) and then went on BBC television to call for the cinema to be demolished.

He ignored the wishes and petition of close to 30,000 residents and every relevant amenity society including \\

• the Kensington Society, 
• ESSA, 
• The Cinema Theatre Association, 
• The BFI; 
• SAVE Britain’s Heritage 
• The 20C Society 
• The Hitchcock Foundation and 
• Opera Holland Park, amongst others

Even before a final decision was reached yesterday there were already articles in the press saying architect's Squire and Partners are finally able to build out the scheme that they designed 15 years ago LINK a scheme which is totally out of step with demand, will add yet more empty luxury flats to an already overcrowded Kensington market place whilst

simultaneously undermining the character of our community.

This was the local cinema of Alfred Hitchcock, David Lean, Michael Powell and Richard Curtis.

The campaign to save it was supported by Royalty and celebrities including Dame Kristin Scott
Thomas, Jeremy Irons, Sir Ian McKellen, Zoe Wannamaker, Sir Patrick Stewart, David Suchet,

Brian May, Ralph Fiennes, Hugh Grant, Lord Putnam and Benedict Cumberbatch

And a  constellation of stars including Madonna, Emily Blunt, Tom Hardy, Reese Witherspoon,Ewan McGregor, Jonny Depp, Elizabeth Hurley, Kate Winslett and Dustin Hoffman attended premieres and watched movies here privately…….

None of the aforementioned support what was pushed through yesterday.