The beautiful Art Deco cinema, The Regal Highams Park, is to be brought back to life by Clear Architects, with an ambitious multi-million pound project which includes a restaurant and 34 apartments.
The Regal is an historic building in the heart of Highams Park. Its Art Deco facade, whilst striking on the outside, has become somewhat faded and neglected over the years since the cinema closed in 1971.
Melanie Clear, Founder and Practice Director of London Architects’, Clear, says:
“We are very excited to be involved in such a pivotal scheme for the Highams Park area. This project is all about breathing new life into a wonderful Art Deco building and reinstating the cinema as a thriving hub for the local community.”
The scheme is a combination of a cinema, restaurant and 34 flats in a building that has taken its design ethos from the original façade, which is locally listed. The proposed design embraces the Art Deco style of the building with a modern interpretation. Emphasis is given to brick detailing, verticality of window placement and use of aqua green.
The two-storey roof extension will provide additional accommodation space and present an exceptional architectural profile in the form of a Metallic Veil, resulting in an iconic structure that will enhance the street scene.
The residential accommodation will form 1, 2 and 3 bedroom apartments built around a central atrium that will be accessed from Beech Hall Road, providing access away from the commercial frontage.
Internally, a series of sky landings provides access to the apartments, creating shafts of light to enter both the rear of the building and the apartments themselves. The sky landings benefit from glazed white brick walls, polished concrete walkways and white balustrades with Art Deco detail. The lift core features a silver metallic veil, further enhancing the luxurious characteristics of the design.
Clear Architects, in conjunction with London Borough of Waltham Forest, have shared the vision for the continued regeneration of Highams park with The Regal development. The application was submitted to Waltham Forest District Council in November 2017 after an overwhelming level of support at the public consultation on the 21 August 2017. The planning decision is expected in early 2018.
