EALING Council is urging the Irish government to secure a deal on the site of Ealing Cinema.
At Tuesday’s (April 23) meeting the cabinet reconfirmed its intention to make a compulsory purchase order (CPO) on the site which includes the former Empire cinema in Ealing Broadway.
The CPO will enable the council’s partner, Land Securities, to deliver a new arts quarter.
The site is currently held by receivers appointed by the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation, but receivers, Allsops, are refusing to consider a negotiated sale to either Land Securities or the council. Instead Allsops has asked the council for a nine month delay to the CPO to see if a speculative bidder will appear on the open market.
The council has made it very clear that it will not halt its CPO proceedings but would pay a fair market price for the site if Allsops will not deal with Land Securities directly.
Leader of the council, Julian Bell said: "We embarked on the CPO process to deliver a cinema for the people of Ealing. We won’t sit and look at a vacant site while Allsops try to find someone prepared to pay more than the site is worth.
"The Irish government should tell Allsops to stop messing around and come to the table. This will give the Irish taxpayer the best and quickest means to get their money back and Ealing residents the cinema they have been waiting too long for."
