Picturehouse has been chosen to run the planned new Ealing Cinema which will boast eight screens and 1,000 seats.

The arthouse cinema will include a bar and a cafe and is expected to open in late 2017, with the rest of the development being completed the following year.

It will finally end the wait for film fans after work by Empire Cinemas to redevelop the site ground to a halt in 2008.

The cinema will be central to the £100 million Ealing Filmworks development which will include a mix of restaurants, cafes, shops, bars and retail units, up to 161 new homes and improve pedestrian links between Ealing Broadway, Bond Street and Walpole Park. The scheme will also feature an outdoor screen and a flexible performance area, with amphitheatre-style seating over its 2.6 acre site.

Ealing Council granted planning consent in December 2013 but the negotiations continue over developer Land Securities buying the site, with the town hall threatening to compulsory purchase the land if needed.

The cinema will be the largest run by Picturehouse which operates 19 venues and organises programmes for a further 35 across the UK.

It has plans to create an architecturally striking cinema within its prominent corner position in the development.

John Grimes, leasing director at Land Securities, said: “It’s fitting that we are able to bring an arthouse cinema back to Ealing as part of the Filmworks development.

“Restoring the site to its former glory is key to the success of this scheme, and the cultural and leisure hub we are creating will transform the area and reaffirm Ealing’s film heritage.”

Lyn Goleby, managing director at Picturehouse Cinemas, said: “The cinema will be created to capture a unique feel and reference the historical context of Ealing as a home of British film.”

The new development – designed by TP Bennett – will generate about 350 new jobs.

Council leader Julian Bell said: “The council has been working hard to bring a cinema back to Ealing and the selection of the operator is a very important step towards achieving that.  Ealing is synonymous with film and this announcement shows that top quality cinema operators want to be in West London’s fastest developing town centre.”