Save The Prince Charles Cinema

The update from The Prince Charles Cinema regarding the ongoing petition and lease dispute highlights that little has changed over the past year. The cinema has a Pre-Trial Review on September 7th as the legal battle over lease renewal continues.

Despite seeking terms they have held for over 60 years—while paying current market rent—the landlord remains firm. The landlord aims to retain the right to issue a six-month notice to vacate for redevelopment, which the cinema opposes, especially given its status as a registered community venue. The cinema has invested in high-level legal representation and venue analysis, causing significant financial strain. Consequently, while public campaigning was paused to allow legal processes to proceed, the cinema apologises for the delay in updates as this process has been slower and more costly than expected.

Dear Supporters,

We have been asked for an update to our Lease situation by many of you, so here you go.

Progress has been beyond slow to full stop. However, the courts eventually gave us a timeline of actions at the end of October, which need to be complied with before giving us a County Court date, should no agreement be met with our new landlord.

As yet, there has been no breakthrough, their experts are now engaged with ours and we continue to wait and see if there is any reasonable shift in their stance.

Hopefully, we will know where we stand by the end of April26. Obviously, for legal reasons we are limited in what we can share at this stage. But be convinced we have employed the very best Legal and Property experts to defend our position.

When there is anything meaningful to share, you can expect to hear from us.
Thank you for your continued support.

Very best,
Team PCC!

Dear PCC Squad,

Apologies for the four-month gap since my last update. There hasn't been much new to share. The lease on the venue will expire in the coming days, but don’t worry.
Key points to note:
• On 2nd Sept, Westminster Council approved plans for the office building above the Cinema to be converted into a Capsule Hostel by our Landlord. The crucial aspect of this approval was the Council's clear statement that the construction should not affect the cinema’s trade in any way.
• The Cinema will continue as usual until a new lease is agreed upon—either through negotiations between Criterion Capital and The Prince Charles Cinema or by court decision. Rest assured, we have spent the past year assembling a strong case with many skilled professionals, including one of London's leading property Barristers.
• We have a legal right to remain, we are simply seeking to continue under the same terms as our current lease at the new market rent.

Thank you all.
Team PCC

Prince Charles Cinema designated as an Asset of Community Value
We are excited to tell everyone that Westminster Council decided on May 1st that the Prince Charles Cinema would be included in the list of Assets of Community Value maintained by the Council under section 87 of the Localism Act 2011.

This will make it only the 6th asset currently with this designation. In their announcement letter, the Council emphasises that “the Prince Charles is distinguished from other local cinemas by means of its independent ethos, unparalleled programming and a close relationship with the local community”
We believe that any truly great venue is built on the shoulders of those who work within & those who support it - and we couldn’t have asked for a more passionate and vocal level of support from the many thousands of you who signed the petition, bought tickets, became members or simply just kept coming through our doors.
So thank you to everyone of you who took a moment to support our cause.

Thank you for all that have advised we should apply to be designated an Asset of Community Value. Please be aware this was applied for prior to the petition going live and we await a positive response on this. Great minds eh! ;-)