Thank you so much for your support so far! On 24th February the Mayor of London’s Crowdfund 2020 team will be assessing our level of support to consider us for a contribution from their funds. Your pledge will help us, and so will your likes and comments on our Spacehive – so if you haven’t left a like or a message please go to https://www.spacehive.com/save-streatham-hill-theatre to do it before the 24th! Many thanks.
The bid to save the magnificent Streatham Hill Theatre for the community has taken a big step forward with the start of a crowdfunding campaign.
Scores of contributors have immediately committed to back the plan to rescue the Grade 2 listed building and bring it back to life.
The scheme has been given added urgency for Streatham, shaken by the recent terror attack on its high street, as the area comes together to show its community spirit. Campaigners for the theatre say that the building has a vital role to play as a community hub and resource in an area sorely lacking in facilities.
We were at the #StreathamIsOpen event on Saturday 8th February 2020 – some of our photos are on our Flickr site where you can also find more photos of the campaign and theatre.
Thanks to everyone of our supporters for your help with the campaign so far.
Our next step is to commission a viability study to explore options and show how to make this grand old building into a sustainable asset for the benefit of the community. We are crowdfunding via Spacehive and have the opportunity to be considered for Mayor of London funding but we need to demonstrate local support.
So please go to save.streathamhilltheatre.org, like the project, leave a supporting comment and if you can pledge even a small amount. We have less than a month to get enough support to get on the Mayor’s radar!
Councillor Liz Atkins to the Cabinet Member for Planning, Investment and New Homes, Councillor Mathew Bennett:
Supplementary question
Councillor L. Atkins welcomed the recently published Streatham Investment and Growth Strategy 2019-30 and asked whether the Cabinet Member for Planning, Investment and New Homes would work with the Friends of Streatham Hill Theatre, Streatham BID and the current leaseholders to determine the meanwhile use of the building. Councillor L. Atkins asked the Cabinet Member to support plans, which had been put forward by the Friends of Streatham Hill Theatre, to carry out a viability study and to publicly endorse their bid to crowdfund costs through the Mayor’s CrowdFund London 2020 scheme and to provide funding through Lambeth’s Community Infrastructure Levy.
Supplementary answer
Councillor Bennett responded by stating he fully supported the work that had taken place to refurbish and rejuvenate Streatham Hill Theatre but recognised more still needed to be done. With this in mind, the Cabinet Member confirmed he was happy to support the suggestion that had been put forward by Councillor L. Atkins.
Lambeth Council, 22 January 2020 Questions from Councillors (PDF)
From: Councillor Liz Atkins, Streatham Hill Ward To: Councillor Matthew Bennett, Cabinet Member for Planning, Investment and New Homes
Streatham Hill Theatre
What is the council doing to ensure that the Streatham Hill Theatre is brought back into use as a thriving community asset?
Answer:
The recently published Streatham Investment and Growth Strategy 2019 -30 has been developed to provide a coherent vision for investment and growth in Streatham. One of the objectives focuses on providing spaces for better and new experiences, with a view to improving existing public spaces to improve visitor experience, create healthier streets, encourage dwell time and attract people to the area.
The strategy commits us to exploring opportunities for Streatham Hill Theatre, with an opportunity analysis and appraisal to explore the feasibility of refurbishing and rejuvenating Streatham Hill Theatre. This should look at owner appetite, funding opportunities, lease structures and operating models. It will also need to identify potential occupant organisations or theatre production groups, as well as broad scope of community uses outside of operating hours. To be successful it will need to accommodate a range of uses and performance types, including rehearsal and community spaces for hire, street-front activation and concessions that operate across the day.
The Council submitted an Expression of Interest to the MHCLG Future High Streets Fund in 2019, seeking £340,000 revenue funding to explore the redevelopment and/ or repurposing of a number of catalytic town centre projects in Streatham, including the Theatre site. Unfortunately the EOI was unsuccessful; however relevant future rounds of grant funding will be applied for.
The 2020 Draft Lambeth Local Plan states: “The former Streatham Hill Theatre is Grade II listed and provides a transformative opportunity to provide a major leisure and entertainment venue with the potential for workspace for creative, digital and cultural industries.“ (p. 405) and “The council will support [its] … regeneration … to become a major leisure and entertainment venue alongside workspace for creative and cultural industries” (p. 410).
90 years to the day the theatre opened with “Wake Up and Dream“, ‘Streatham Stars’ Simon Callow and Catherine Russell joined us to celebrate, cut the cake and launch our crowd-funder for a viability study to examine its future for community use. Watch the video, with subtitles, below.
Stars of stage and screen came together to wish “Happy 90th Birthday” to the disused Streatham Hill Theatre. Simon Callow and Catherine Russell, both with strong connections to Streatham, are supporting our campaign to see it brought back to life as an arts, entertainment and community hub for South London.
To start that journey to provide new opportunities and inspiration for those who live in the area, we are also launching our crowd-funding campaign today.
To help The Friends develop their own proposals for future use of the building, we have formed a panel of professional advisors including architects and consultants, who are providing free help and advice.
However, to carry out a viability study to determine how best to proceed The Friends will need to raise funds. Please help us make the first steps towards reawakening this sleeping beauty as an arts and cultural centre for the community.
Let’s reawaken this sleeping beauty for its centenary and beyond, to provide new opportunities and inspiration for arts and culture.
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