Mayfair’s historic Curzon cinema may close after developers made a noise complaint. 38 Curzon Ltd is converting office space above the cinema to luxury flats and some have complained the noise from movie premieres and the films themselves are turning off potential buyers, according to the Evening Standard.
The developers are seeking to have the cinema foot the £500k bill for soundproofing, but the cinema can’t afford to pay and could not get planning permission anyway because the walls are listed. The row has resulted in a “legal action for forfeiture,” which could mean the cinema has to give up its lease and move out of the location it is has been in since 1934.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan waded into the debate, announcing that he’ll protect historic London buildings from developers by introducing an “agent of change” rule into the next London Plan. Developers building flats near existing venues would need to ensure residents are insulated from excessive noise—and that may include paying for soundproofing. [ES]
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