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Last week we reported that the much-loved Curzon Mayfair cinema in the West End is under threat of closure.
Fans of the Curzon Mayfair have been quick to react to the news. So far 16,484 people have put their names to a petition asking the Mayor of London and Westminster City Council to step in and solve a dispute between the Curzon Mayfair and the cinema's landlord.
The cinema is one of the city's best-loved cinemas. It has existed for over 80 years in the heart of Mayfair and its much-admired stylish interiors have barely been updated since the 1960s. It's a sister venue to the Curzon Soho and famous for showcasing the very best of Hollywood and world cinema.
But now the Curzon Mayfair has been served with a £500,000 bill to soundproof its Grade II-listed walls so that the future residents of four new luxury flats being built in former offices above the cinema won't suffer from sound pollution from the sort of quiet arthouse movies the venue's programmers tend to favour. The cinema can't afford that kind of cash – and so the Mayfair may have to shut its doors.
The petition says: 'It is an absolute travesty that developers 38 Curzon Ltd have called on the Curzon to fork out £500,000 to soundproof luxury properties they are building above it. They know that the cinema doesn’t have the funds. They know that the venue is listed and would face an uphill struggle to get permission to change its interiors. This is a de facto attempt to close the Curzon through the backdoor. Curzon Mayfair must be protected. We simply cannot afford to lose this much-loved, iconic venue.'
To add insult to injury, the owners of the Curzon Mayfair, Curzon Cinemas, are already fighting a battle to save their flagship venue, Curzon Soho, from plans to turn it into a ticketing hall as part of the second stage of Crossrail. A parallel petition for that campaign, which began last year, already has almost 45,000 signatures.
You can sign the petition to save the Curzon Mayfair here.
You can sign the petition to save the Curzon Soho here.