Camden Town bingo hall to turn into 850-seat theatre by Secret Cinema company

A new 850-seat theatre will open in Camden Town. Secret Group, which runs Secret Cinema, has had its plans approved by the council. The closure of the area's biggest bingo hall will make way for the cultural spot with around 70 new jobs planned.

Despite surviving for six decades, the still-open Mecca Bingo's days are numbered with closure expected this year. The Rank Group, which also owns Grosvenor Casinos, has suffered significant losses in recent years.

Since the onset 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.

The new theatre plans to host six to eight shows a week, offering a mix of evening and matinee performances. The theatre shows are described as 'immersive' but it is not quite clear what that would look like.

Secret Cinema is know for its immersive film and television events such as the Grease live experience in Birmingham, which included the chance to hang out on the set and going on carnival rides.

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Theatre-goers will also be able to enjoy a drink at the bar and make use of 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 character and appearance of the building.

The council's planning committee has deemed the theatre as appropriate for the town centre location, stating it would 'preserve and enhance the vitality, function, and viability' of Camden Town.

"The building itself was constructed in the 1930s as a cinema but was divided into two parts in 1968; the upper portion of the site became the cinema accessed from Parkway and currently occupied by Odeon, and the lower portion of the site became the application site, accessed from Arlington Road," says the council report.

It is not yet known when it could open.

No formal objections to the planning permission were received by the Town Hall.