FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Marina Ahmad AM calls on Deputy Mayor for Culture to help save Streatham Hill Theatre

A Grade II listed theatre in Streatham is at risk of permanent loss as a cultural venue due to a plan to convert it into a place of worship. 

The current owner, Ruach City Church, has submitted a planning application for this change, despite it being seen as a protected cultural venue.  

A well-funded theatre operator is ready to restore and run the venue, but no agreement has been reached with the current owner.  

A campaign is pushing to keep it as a theatre or secure the future of its shared use.  

Part of the building is still occupied by a gambling venue, which splits the site’s use. Machine Slot gambling can have a destructive impact on gamblers’ welfare and financial health, as well as impact those closest to them. Many in the local community are strongly against their presence, and would welcome their removal.

The owner has a one-off legal opportunity to remove the gambling operator tenant by June 2027 by paying £100,000.

This required 12 months notice, effectively making the deadline 30th June 2026. 

If this deadline is missed, the gambling use could remain until 2037, making redevelopment significantly harder. 

Campaigners see removing the gambling use as a critical first step to unlocking the building’s future. 

Without intervention, the theatre risks being lost long-term, with planning, physical changes and lease constraints all limiting future options. 

Marina Ahmad AM, who has long supported the campaign, has also sent two letters calling on Ruach City Church to evict the current gambling operator tenant and Justine Simons, Deputy Mayor for Culture, urging her to join her on a site visit and add her support to the campaign.

Marina Ahmad, London Assembly Member for Lambeth and Southwark, said;

“If we do not act now, we could lose this theatre permanently as a space for arts and culture. This would be a significant loss not just for Streatham, but for London as a whole.

We have an opportunity here to revive a nationally significant cultural asset that would bring great social benefits to the local community.

I am concerned about the alterations that have already made to the building that limit its viability for performance use, alongside the current planning application that seeks to formalise its change of use. These are in spite of policies that are aimed at safeguarding cultural venues across London.”