Leisure: Chapman Taylor submits design for new cinema and restaurants complex for Eltham Town Centre

Chapman Taylor, UK has submitted proposals for a new cinema and restaurant complex at the heart of Eltham.

The rejuvenation of the town in the London Borough of Greenwich is part of the council’s focus on the regeneration of four key masterplan sites within the borough: Eltham town centre, Charlton Riverside, Greenwich Peninsula and Woolwich town centre. The council has identified the areas as those which can best promote their overall vision for growth and prosperity across the borough.

It also sets out the council's aim of creating a strong and robust local economy, delivering more affordable housing, providing opportunities for residents to access training and employment and to further boost the borough's reputation as a leading destination by protecting and enhancing its rich mix of cultural, historical and leisure facilities and attractions.

Our proposal will bring a new cinema destination and a hub of restaurants into the high street, attracting visitors into the centre during the evening. The design seeks to create a striking and distinctive building that will become a landmark for the town centre. An iconic ‘Sky Bar’, with an external seating terrace, is designed to wrap around the cinema, cantilevering and projecting animation onto the High Street and  complementing the active street level restaurant uses below. The building steps back from the High Street to respect the existing scale of the streetscape, in particular the adjacent Grade II Listed St Mary’s Community Centre building. The curved corners to the building at Ground and First Floor levels give a subtle nod to the art-deco cinemas of the 1930s.  The scheme creates a leisure destination that will act as a catalyst for the wider regeneration and increased prosperity of the area, providing a new focal point in Eltham Town Centre.