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Ealing is to finally get a cinema eight years since the last one closed, after construction work got under way on a £100 million cultural quarter.

The eight-screen, 1,000-seat Picturehouse will be joined by 161 new homes as well as shops and restaurants in a major redevelopment of the New Broadway site. The former Empire cinema shut in 2008 and following several false dawns work started on Monday, after the original developers Land Securities sold the site to St George, part of the Berkeley Group.

The Art Deco facade of the old cinema will be preserved and a public square will be created. Restaurant Vapiano and supermarket Planet Organic have been confirmed as two of the new tenants.

Ealing council leader Julian Bell said: “The council promised we would bring a cinema back to our town centre and despite many setbacks I am delighted work is finally starting. This is a very exciting time. Crossrail means Ealing is soon going to be more accessible to the rest of London than ever and this development sits at the heart of our plans to revitalise the town centre.”

St George, which is already building 700 homes in a residential and commercial scheme in nearby Dickens Yard, is seeking to change planning permission to increase the number of homes, including affordable homes, at the cultural quarter.

Holly Smallman of Picturehouse said: “We’ve been keen to open in Ealing. As it is some time since we first committed to this development, we are reviewing the cinema design with St George. We look forward to 2019 when we will open.” Michael Bryn-Jones, managing director of St George, said: “We’re firmly committed to Ealing, having invested significantly at Dickens Yard.”

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