The Friends of Streatham Common have announced that Kite Day is back this year on 10th May.
The Friends plan to be there, sharing a stall with other theatre related organisations – Streatham Theatre Company & Streatham Arts Community – so please come and look for us at the bottom of Streatham Common.
This year’s 50th Olivier Awards 2026, along with sponsors Cunard, have launched a national “Love Your Local Theatre” campaign. There is a nationwide social media drive inviting people to share what their local theatre means to them. Participants are encouraged to post a video, image or graphic celebrating their chosen venue.
The Olivier Awards will also see past winners and nominees recognise the local venues that first inspired them and nurtured their talent. By celebrating these formative connections, Love Your Local Theatre will emphasise the importance of theatres across the breadth of the UK in developing world-class creatives and sustaining the wider theatre ecosystem. https://solt.co.uk/olivier-awards-2026-love-your-local-theatre/
The Friends of Streatham Hill Theatre would like to take part in this social media campaign, and we are calling on our supporters to add their own personal messages through social media. Your messages supporting our campaign to rejuvenate Streatham Hill Theatre will show how we would love it to be our own local theatre once again.
You could refer to
Messages should include the #LoveYourLocalTheatre and #StreathamHillTheatre hashtags, and an appropriate image or video if possible. We will also use your messages in our campaign and add any memories of the theatre to our archives.
As a bonus, each eligible post will be entered into Cunard’s prize draw, with one winner receiving an unforgettable theatre experience of two tickets to the Olivier Awards 2026 with Cunard, a two-night stay at The May Fair Hotel, and £500 in Theatre Tokens to spend at one of 300+ theatres nationwide. The prize draw is open until 11.59pm on Thursday 5 March. https://officiallondontheatre.com/webforms/love-your-local-theatre/
The Olivier Awards ceremony itself is on 12th April at the Royal Albert Hall.
Thanks very much for your help and support; let’s hope this helps raise the profile of the theatre while it is at risk of loss through planning changes.
Questions asked by a Streatham Hill resident have been put to Council officers by Streatham Hill West & Thornton Ward Cllr Donna Harris as a ‘Members Enquiry’:
“Ruach City Church’s planning application for Change of Use of the Streatham Hill Theatre to a place of worship was published at the Planning Portal for comment on the 1st May 2025. Eight and a half months have now passed. Please explain the reason for the delay and advise when this application is expected to go before the PAC [Planning Applications Committee]. Residents opposing this application are understandably concerned and asking to be updated.
Also, the building has been opened for use by the public since the end of June 2024 without planning consent, and without correct safety measures such as preventing the use of the front row of the circle due to its inadequate hand rails. Various works have been undertaken, most recently some electrical works including fixing cables to internal walls, and running cables through new holes in internal masonry. There has also been some interference with the external foundation stone-laying plaque leaving it unsecured and at risk of being removed from the wall and stolen. Has there been any investigation into all the various works and is there planning approval or listed building consent for them? Have the owners been made aware that carrying out unauthorised works to a listed building is a criminal offence and can result in prosecution?”
Members Enquiry response from Council officers:
Ruach City Church
“Apologies for the delay you have experienced in receiving a response to your Members Enquiry on the 21st January.
As you can appreciate, due to the complexity of the submission, the assessment of the application at Streatham Hill Theatre remains ongoing. Once officers can make a recommendation, it will be determined whether the application should be referred to the Planning Applications Committee (PAC). At this stage, it is anticipated that the application may be presented to PAC members in late spring or early summer.
As you may also be aware, the site is currently subject to an active enforcement investigation. This relates to both the existing use of the premises and any works that may have been carried out or are continuing to take place.
Regarding your constituents’ concerns about internal and external alterations, some matters may fall within the remit of Building Control, and these will be discussed with the relevant officers. Any alterations affecting the fabric of the listed building will be raised with the planning agent while the application remains under consideration. Officers have already requested further supporting information on several issues, including noise and community uses, and this will form part of the ongoing assessment.”
The Winter 2025-26 edition of Streatham Society‘s News Magazine has a feature on the history of Streatham Hill Theatre with photos, plus a review of the recent concert by Brixton Chamber Orchestra.
The society publishes online copies of its newsletters once they have been read by members.
Benefact Group are running a series of charity prize draws in 2026 and you can nominate The Friends for a chance to win £1000 to help the campaign.
Just go to the website, search for “The Friends of Streatham Hill Theatre” and nominate us!
You can also nominate other charities, but it’s a maximum of one nomination per charity per person.
The first 100 winning charities will be drawn between 23rd – 27th March 2026. Other draws will take place in September and December.
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The Theatres Trust has highlighted that key proposed amendments to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) would significantly weaken the protection for theatres in the planning system. Considered alongside the proposal to remove Theatres Trust as a statutory consultee, there could be serious consequences for cultural infrastructure in England if these amendments are adopted.
They note:
The section on “Retention of key community facilities and public service infrastructure” (HC6) is now weaker than many local plans and the existing NPPF – and crucially does not include cultural buildings in the list of uses to which the policy explicitly applies.
This omission could be an oversight, but just as troubling is that the protection policy only applies where a building is the last of its type in its local area. So, if there is another theatre in your area, your building would not be protected. It wouldn’t matter that you operate at different scales, have a completely different programme or serve different audiences.
The Government is holding a public consultation open until 10 March 2026. The Friends have commented on the proposals and it would be good if many others did too. Please make your own comments and spread the word.
There is guidance on the Theatres Trust website.
The Theatres Trust is supporting the Friends in our campaign to save Streatham Hill Theatre.
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New research from Historic England suggests emotional connection to historic places is fundamental to our wellbeing, as its chairman Lord Neil Mendoza explains in an article in Arts Professional.
According to compelling new research from Historic England and the University of Glasgow, our emotional connections to historic places are fundamental to our mental health and wellbeing – and they’re quietly shaping the economic geography of the nation. The report, Connecting People and Place: Valuing the Felt Experiences of Historic Places, presents findings that should give pause to anyone involved in planning, development or regeneration. Historic places, the research shows, possess restorative qualities comparable to natural green spaces. That Victorian pier or Edwardian cinema isn’t just picturesque, it’s doing genuine psychological work.
“The deep connections people form with historic buildings and places help to explain why they really matter,” say Claudia Kenyatta and Emma Squire, co-CEOs of Historic England. “It also sheds light on why proposed change and development in our cities, towns and villages, which are brimming with heritage, brings about such strong public feeling.”
Read the full article in Arts Professional.
Ruach City Church have written to local organisations regarding future community use of the theatre auditorium.
“The below has been proposed in terms of pricing, however Bishop has advised that 2026 should be made free of charge for all community events and this will be funded by the generous donation of Ruach City Church members to cover the operational costs of running the building during these events, which will cost approx. £15,000 – £30,000 per year or more. The events will be charged from 2027 as explained below. Please do let me know if you require further information.
Pricing
To generate demand and awareness an initial 9-month period of ‘Ticket Sharing’ is being implemented for community groups, ensuring revenue is shared between the event organisers and Ruach, requiring minimal financial commitment from community groups, which is intended to promote the availability of the building to Community Groups. Following this initial ‘Ticket Sharing’ period, a 35% discount to open market hire rates are proposed with day rates of £3,735 and half day rates are £1,868, to ensure the ongoing financial viability of the Community Use at the Property.“
There is now a Hire Form at Ruach’s website.
This raises a number of questions over detail, which Streatham Arts Community will take up with Ruach.
Streatham Arts Community has reported on Lambeth’s launch of its new strategy. Amongst its key points are:
Protecting grassroots music, theatre and arts venues through updates to licensing and planning rules, including embedding the ‘Agent of Change’ principle to protect existing venues from threat of closure due to noise complaints from new developments.
Secure a community offer at the Streatham Hill Theatre site that includes evening and night time activity.
For more see the SAC post here.
We have our next online meeting on Wednesday 28th January 2026 at 8pm. Please register via our events page.
We’ll be discussing the campaign and the ongoing planning application.
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