Steve Reed MP wades in on Streatham Hill Theatre future

The Streatham and Croydon North MP visited Streatham Hill Theatre last Friday (May 16).

It comes amid concerns from local campaigners about plans for a church to permanently take over the venue.

Ruach City Church, a non-denominational Pentecostal church with sites in Kilburn, Walthamstow and Birmingham, bought the venue two years ago.

It has now asked Lambeth Council to rubberstamp the theatre’s use as a place of worship.

Following his visit, Mr Reed said that it was a “pleasure” to see the “important work” the church was doing.

However, he raised concerns that their planning submission to Lambeth Council was “not ambitious enough” regarding the level of support for local theatre.

The church has said that it is committed to providing opportunities for community theatre and arts at the venue.

But community group The Friends of Streatham Hill Theatre have urged the council to reject the application, claiming there is a commercial operator willing to reopen the venue as a theatre.

The 96-year-old Grade II listed theatre closed in 2017 having been used as a bingo hall for the last 55 years.

Mr Reed said: “We have an opportunity to bring theatre back to Streatham for good and restore the Streatham Hill Theatre to its former glory.

“It would be a tragedy if this opportunity slips from the hands of our community.

“Unfortunately, this application goes against Lambeth Council’s local plan by not offering enough to support the performing arts in Streatham.

“I share the views of local residents and campaigners that both Streatham and the Streatham Hill Theatre would benefit significantly from the venue being used for commercial theatre.”

Despite these concerns, he said he welcomed the church’s commitment to “community engagement”, and said that he wanted to see the building brought back into use in a way that benefits both the church and local residents.

He added that he would “wholeheartedly” support a revised planning application from the church that “enables commercial usage and the regeneration of a much loved local treasure”.

The church has said that the borough's local plan should be ignored in this instance on the grounds of “safeguarding a listed, and at risk, heritage asset”.

Bishop John Francis, of Ruach City Church, said: “This building has long been part of Streatham’s history.”

“We see it as a beacon of culture, worship, creativity and hope — and we want everyone in the community to feel a sense of ownership and possibility here.”