A new 850-seat theater is to open in Camden Town. Secret Group, which runs Secret Cinema, has had its plans approved by the council. The closure of the area’s largest bingo hall makes way for the cultural center with around 70 new jobs planned.
Despite surviving for six decades, Mecca Bingo’s days are still open with closure expected this year. The Rank Group, which also owns Grosvenor Casinos, has suffered significant losses in recent years.
Since the start of the Covid pandemic, over half of the country’s bingo clubs have closed, including venues in Doncaster, Hull, Chester, Hayes and Hillingdon last year.
Secret Cinema is known for its immersive film and TV events such as the live Grease experience in Birmingham, which included the chance to hang out on set and go on carnival rides.
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Theatergoers will also be able to enjoy a drink at the bar and use the on-site bike storage.
The building on Arlington Road, parallel to Camden High Street, falls within the Camden Town Conservation Area, meaning any new development cannot involve “external alterations or extensions”, preserving the building’s character and appearance.
“The building itself was built in the 1930s as a cinema but was split in two in 1968; the upper part of the site became the cinema accessed from the Parkway and currently occupied by the Odeon, and the lower part of the site became the application site, accessed from Arlington Road,” the council’s report says.
It is not yet known when it can open.
No formal objections to the building permit were received at the municipal hall.
