Community Cinema Saved by Council Intervention
An independent cinema in Sidcup that faced permanent closure is set to reopen its doors next month following significant financial support from Bexley Council. The three-screen cinema at Sidcup Storyteller on Sidcup High Street, which forms part of a larger facility including a library, café and bar, ceased operations in July after its previous operator encountered serious financial difficulties.
From Closure to New Beginnings
The Really Local Group (RLG), which operated the cinema, entered voluntary liquidation in January this year. Despite this setback, the cinema continued running under a short-term licence with the same team until its final closure on July 29. The future of this popular local venue remained uncertain for several months until Bexley Council announced in October that they had found a suitable replacement operator.
The council identified The Castle Cinema from Hackney as the ideal candidate to take over the venue, offering them a substantial 20-year lease that includes responsibility for both the cinema operation and the Storyteller's café. To ensure they made the right choice, the council invested nearly £11,000 in cinema industry consultancy services.
Financial Investment Secures Cinema's Future
Bexley Council has recently approved two significant financial packages to facilitate the cinema's reopening. The first involves a £37,000 payment to purchase fittings and fixtures still owned by RLG, including all 158 seats across the three auditoriums and other essential infrastructure. Council documents emphasised that failure to secure these assets would have rendered the facility non-operational.
The second financial commitment sees the council paying £77,600 to a finance company to purchase the venue's cinema equipment, specifically screen projectors and speakers. As guarantor of RLG's three-year loan for this equipment, Bexley Council needed to settle the debt to ensure the equipment remains in place.
The council will recover most of this second investment through monthly instalments from Castle Cinema totalling £72,000 over one year. Once this payment period concludes, ownership of the cinema equipment will transfer to the new operators.
A Shared Vision for Community Entertainment
The council has expressed confidence that Castle Cinema represents the perfect fit for Sidcup, citing their successful track record in East London. The Hackney venue originally opened in 2016 after 663 local community members contributed £57,000 through a Kickstarter campaign initiated by the cinema's two founders.
Cabinet Member for Place Shaping, Councillor Cafer Munur, described the Castle Cinema announcement as "brilliant news" last month. He added: "Finding the right partner for the cinema has been our key concern for this brilliant community facility. I feel confident that Castle Cinema will be a great fit for the cinema and for Bexley."
According to the Castle's newly launched Sidcup website, the venue will welcome back film enthusiasts in early December. The website promises that "The renewed cinema will carry forward the same ethos, energy and deep commitment to its local community that have helped us thrive" in their East London location.
The total council investment of approximately £115,000 demonstrates the local authority's commitment to preserving cultural amenities for Sidcup residents, ensuring the community continues to have access to independent cinema alongside the facility's other offerings.
