TWO Southall landmarks have been shut down within days of each other.
Southall Community Centre in Merrick Road and The Himalaya Palace Cinema in South Road have been boarded up and closed off to the public.
A notice of possession was posted outside the community centre after a falling out between Southall Community Association and current owners Go Asia Trust.
The trust bought the centre, which is still in a state of disrepair, from Ealing Council two years ago for £2.2million.
Peter Sylvester, vice-chairman of Southall Community Centre said: "We haven't paid them rent because they haven't met any of the obligations they made when they took ownership.
"We came to an agreement with them and they turned that down. They owe us more than we ever owed them. This is detrimental to the community of Southall. Several groups have turned up to use the centre but they have all been turned away. There is great anger as all the goal-posts seem to keep changing."
Mr Sylvester said he is currently in talks with solicitors about taking further legal action against Go Asia Trust.
A spokesman for Debidins Solicitors, representing Go Asia Trust said: "My client has acted completely lawfully. The lease has been forfeited as the association was not paying rent."
The Himalaya Palace, one of Southall's most iconic landmarks dating back to 1912, regularly screened Bollywood films.
At the time of going to press, the cinema's website, including contact details, screening times and competitions, was still up and running.
Janpal Basran of Southall Community Alliance said: "It's well known that Southall is an area where you can get bootleg DVDs of Bollywood movies.
"It would seem that people are voting with their feet and buying them instead of paying to see a movie. It's another sign of the recession."
The Gazette contacted the cinema's owner, Monarch Commercial, for a comment but at the time of going to press, no response had been received.
