Four London theatres at risk of closure amid 'very challenging' conditions

Three of the theatres are facing redevelopment plans to be turned into places of worship

Niva Yadav

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Four London theatres are at risk of closure, redevelopment, or demolition, according to the Theatres Trust At Risk Register.

The UK’s national advisory public body for theatres produces an annual list to identify theatres that have strong architectural merit or cultural heritage, but are in need of support to secure their future.

This year’s register, now in its 20th edition, names 39 theatres across the UK.

Among those are four London locations: Borough Hall, Streatham Hill Theatre, Tottenham Palace Theatre, and the Intimate Theatre.

Streatham Theatre

Tim Hatcher / Friends of Streatham Hill Theatre

All four of these theatres were named in last year's list too.

Theatres in London have faced several challenges in the past few years, including recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic and rising energy costs. But there have also been deep-rooted problems, including restoration and costly repairs.

Three of the four theatres on the list are facing development proposals to turn the venues into places of worship.

Intimate Theatre in Enfield, which has been on the register for 7 years, has been at risk of redevelopment after the council granted permission for the venue to become a new parish hall and housing.

The new owners of Streatham Hill Theatre also have submitted an application to convert the building into a church. The Grade II-listed venue is now awaiting a recommendation from Lambeth Council.

Tottenham Palace has been on the register since 2019 and is already being used as a place of worship.

According to the report, the venue has suffered “significant water damage to both the structure and interior plasterwork.”

Many theatres are in need of restoration and renovation, with Borough Hall in Greenwich being another example.

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Phil Adaleke is the director of the Eden Group, the company that is currently leasing the Borough Hall theatre.

He told The Standard: “One of the biggest challenges for theatres is the restoration of heating and cooling. It’s incredibly difficult for theatre operators, even with a well laid-out strategy for events and programming. We’re retrospectively troubleshooting.”

“The time it takes to fix and repair these listed buildings means there will be lost revenue,” he said.

Mr Adaleke added that Borough Hall was lucky as it has been used as an events venue and is leased out to film companies, but that is not the case for the majority of theatre operators.

Another issue is that many people “are used to going to Zone 1” for theatre, he explained.

“When it comes to theatre production, most people just want to go to the West End and locally, it can be very challenging.”

He called on the government to provide better support for local theatres, including readily available grants.

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