I am writing to you to add my voice to many others in the local community in expressing deep concern at the proposed future usage of the former cinema in Crystal Palace.
Crystal Palace has a very strong sense of community and many of the people who live here care deeply about maintaining and strengthening this. The Triangle is the focal point of the community and is home to many small independent shops and restaurants. The current economic downturn has unfortunately forced a number of these businesses to close. I and many other people believe that the future usage of the former cinema site is key to the future of the area.
Until the last month or so, the former cinema in Church Road (which forms one side of the Triangle) was operated by Gala as a bingo hall. The closure of the bingo hall represented a loss of a community resource and a potential threat to the viability of local businesses though decreased footfall. However it also represented an opportunity for the site to be used in a way which would benefit the local community. I have been told that there was strong interest from more than one company in converting the building back into a cinema. I believe this would have been the ideal outcome as it would be an excellent community resource as well as a much-needed boost to local businesses. However, the highest bidder (and now new owner) was an organisation called Kingsway International Christian Centre (KICC).
KICC is a rapidly growing church group who appear to have purchased the site as a replacement to premises they have been renting in Wimbledon. This proposed church would not serve a local congregation but one made up of people who had travelled from across South London and beyond. I am therefore very concerned this proposal would result in a tragic loss of amenity to our community and would also cause significant traffic and parking problems.
Crystal Palace is a largely residential area and parking is already something of a scarce commodity. Living close to the Triangle I often have to park my car some distance from my house. On a Sunday the parking is particularly busy as there are less restrictions and the Triangle is already home to several local churches whose congregations park in neighbouring streets. KICC have not yet made their proposals clear but if they were able to turn the former cinema into a church the congregation would be expected to number in the hundreds or perhaps the low thousands. The local infrastructure would be simply unable to cope with this kind of additional burden on both traffic and parking. It would also crowd-out shoppers and impact yet further on the local businesses.
A planning application is expected to be made by KICC to Bromley Council in the coming weeks to obtain permission to change the usage of the building. If and when this application is received I hope you will add your support to the local community in petitioning Bromley Council to reject the application. Rejecting this application is vital to keeping this site available to the whole community and avoiding serious traffic congestion in the area. And ensuring that the site continues to be permitted for similar commercial activities will encourage the kind of usage which would provide a much needed stimulus to the local economy rather than dealing it a serious blow in these difficult economic times.
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