Bromley is set to lose another cultural landmark, as ODEON Beckenham closes at the end of the year. Citygate Church, which owns the building, announced plans to convert the historic cinema into a place of worship.
The Grade II-listed, Art Deco building, is the subject of a pre-planning application aime at changing the building’s use from a cinema to a church and community venue.
An ODEON spokesperson said: “ODEON Beckenham will be closing at the end of November 2026, following the landlord’s decision to repurpose the building. The cinema will continue to welcome guests as usual until then.”
The closure announcement could be linked to a drop in the number of cinema goers with ODEON cutting the value of its movie theatres by more than £230m. The closure ends almost a century of cinema use at 296 High Street, Beckenham.
The controversial proposal has drawn heavy criticism from the local community, with several petitions set up to oppose the plans. Liam Conlon, local MP for Beckenham and Penge, has a petition running, while a separate Change.org petition has received over 5,600 signatures at the time of writing.
Losing Beckenham’s cinema would be a massive blow to the local community, with many families and seniors missing out. To add insult to injury, Citygate already has a church in the local area, 22 Rectory Road, directly opposite the cinema.
What’s planned?
Bromley Council are aware of the plans, with discussion taking place on a pre-planning application basis, with the proposals set to form part of Citygate’s official planning application in due course.
Their plans would convert the existing six-screen cinema into a single large auditorium, with a new lift, staircase, and updated exterior. The renovation will also expose the building’s original features.
A public consultation wil take place on Saturday 10th of October at 10am and we expect a strong local turnout, given the strength of feeling and opposition to Citygate’s plans.
Similarities with Crystal Palace’s Everyman Cinema
There’s a glimmer of hope in the fight to save the ODEON. A former cinema in Crystal Palace was bought by a church but after strong local opposition, Bromley Council refused the proposals and a subsequent appeal was dismissed. The building was later sold and reopened as Everyman Crystal Palace in 2018. We can all agree Everyman has been a massive success for Crystal Palace, so we hope Bekenham will have a similar outcome.