Crouch End Picturehouse given green light

Crouch End’s future as one of London’s leading arts destinations received its latest stamp of approval last night as plans for a four-screen cinema were approved by Haringey Council.

The Crouch End Picturehouse - which will create around 80 jobs - will open in renovated office buildings in Tottenham Lane, bringing back a cinema to the site for the first time in more than a century.

The project joins the new Arthouse cinema, due to open soon having been approved by the council in May, and the future restoration of Hornsey Town Hall as the permanent home of Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts - bringing new educational and community arts facilities.

Together, the venues will help ensure Crouch End - famous for its recording studios and wealth of artists, musicians and actors - builds on its history as one of the capital’s cultural centres.

Plans approved by Haringey Council’s Planning Committee last night (Monday 9 December) will see the office buildings on Tottenham Lane transformed into four screens with a total of 590 seats, with a first-floor bar and café and spaces available for community hire.

Councillor Joseph Ejiofor, cabinet member for planning, said:

"We’re determined to support sustainable developments that regenerate our town centres and provide new jobs for local people.

"These new independent cinemas honour Crouch End’s history as a home to the arts and will encourage more visitors - boosting local trade and supporting the high street.

"With two cinemas and the forthcoming restoration of Hornsey Town Hall, Crouch End will be home to outstanding cultural facilities that will build on its history and secure its future as a leading arts destination."