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intimate theatre in palmers greenTo the "huge disappointment" of the statutory body Theatres Trust, Enfield's planning committee last night gave the go-ahead for St Monica's church to demolish the Intimate Theatre. The committee voted in favour of replacing the historic theatre building by a new parish centre with a slightly amended design that includes provision for a demountable stage. The planning application had been referred back to the church by the same committee when they met in January so that the church and its architects could investigate the possibility of retaining some sort of theatrical facility within the new parish centre.

In a statement issued to the press today, Theatres Trust expressed its disappointment at the demolition of "a rare example of a repertory theatre design from the inter-war period with a rich cultural history that cannot be replaced". It noted that, despite the detailed comments submitted by Theatres Trust last week, the decision had been made without any scrutiny of the demountable stage proposals, which in its view "are not practically workable for live performances".

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Theatres Trust statement about the decision to allow demolition of the Intimate Theatre

Theatres Trust is hugely disappointed by the decision of Enfield Council to grant planning permission to the scheme that will ultimately result in the demolition of the Intimate Theatre. Added to our Theatres at Risk Register in 2019, the Intimate is a rare example of a repertory theatre design from the inter-war period with a rich cultural history that cannot be replaced.

It is particularly disappointing that the committee accepted the applicant’s stage proposal without any scrutiny, despite the detailed comments submitted by Theatres Trust last week. While some amendments have been made to the plans for the replacement building to be seen to address the committee’s previous concerns about theatre provision, in reality the proposals are not practically workable for live performances because the stage is inadequate in both height and floor space, audience sightlines would be poor, there is no supporting infrastructure such as sound and lighting, there are no obvious dressing rooms or storage facilities and the capacity is vastly reduced compared to current levels.

The redevelopment scheme in its current form would also leave the area without a community theatre space for amateur or local groups, for which there is widespread local support and a clear demand. Furthermore, in this time of climate crisis, the carbon cost of demolition and new build, which would have a significant negative environmental impact, is a further critical factor that should be taken into consideration

You can read about the history of the Intimate Theatre here: www.theatrestrust.org.uk/how-we-help/theatres-at-risk/830-intimate-theatre

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Garry Humphreys posted a reply
10 Mar 2022 12:20
Huge thanks to the 5,029 people who signed my 38-degrees petition to Save the Intimate Theatre. Although the final result is not what we wanted, perhaps we made the process a little more complicated to resolve. This final decision is disgraceful and shameful: not only do we lose an iconic local building with a distinguished history, but another example of Palmers Green's heritage, swept away by a Council that apparently knows the cost of everything and the value of nothing. And the public is deprived of a community resource that had enormous potential. Thanks also to the Theatres Trust for its support: I can't really add (at least while remaining polite!) to their statement reproduced here. A sad day - and not just for Palmers Green.
PGC Webmaster posted a reply
23 Mar 2022 22:30


The fate of the Intimate Theatre has been reported by the (highly recommended) Ian Visits website .
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