***Press release***

Guildmore selected as Development Partner to restore Ladywell Playtower

Mayor Bullock of Lewisham Council has announced that the Council has selected Guildmore Ltd and Curzon Cinema to build a 3 screen 220 seat cinema at Ladywell Playtower.  The decision was revealed at a public meeting at Lewisham Town Hall on Wednesday 15th November 2017.

 On hearing the result last week, Guildmore MD Engin Ertosun stated “As someone who grew up in Catford and attended activities in the Playtower in my youth, I am particularly proud and humbled that the Guildmore team has been selected to undertake this exciting project which will be of such benefit to the residents of Ladywell and the wider Lewisham community

Guildmore’s vision was to reimagine the Ladywell Playtower as a publicly accessible leisure destination for the Borough of Lewisham.  In response to strong local demand from the community, and drawing upon the original concept for the building which saw the First Class Pool Hall seasonally decked over for use as an entertainment venue, we proposed to reopen the Playtower as a three screen cinema, complete with a freely accessible public events foyer and complementary café, bar and restaurant uses.

Community Benefit

The key benefit of Guildmore’s proposal is to reinstate the long established use of the building as a public events space at the heart of the community. A swift and highly visible regeneration process will be informed by workshops and public engagement events so that our team can understand what the past, present and future of the Playtower means to this community.

Key benefits include:

  • Saving and restoring the endangered heritage of the Playtower
  • Meeting pent-up local demand for a cinema in the Borough
  • Creation of a new local destination, a place for the community to gather
  • 27 full-time equivalent new jobs, which never pay less than the Living Wage
  • Multiplier effect of benefits to local economy

The project will generate an activity programme, which ensures that the offer is accessible to a wide range of audience groups which will create sustainable links with the local and wider community through programmed activities.  Cross-generational events and workshop, with bespoke activities for different audiences and upskilling opportunities for volunteers will be created.

Deliverability

Lewisham Council recognised that Guildmore have the team, the experience and the resources to transform neglected heritage buildings into award winning destinations at the heart of community life, including the award winning Poplar Baths in Tower Hamlets, which Guildmore saved from 30 years of dereliction and reinstated as a thriving leisure centre for the local community.

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Guildmore Ltd

Since our establishment in 1998 as a construction firm specialising in the design and delivery of residential care homes, Guildmore has grown to become an integrated contracting and property development company with particular experience in the design, construction and long term operation of residential and public buildings.

Our experience in the design and construction of quality housing spans from luxury, bespoke detached homes to multi-unit inner city developments serving both public and private sectors. All are designed for modern living and constructed to the highest quality, making the most of often challenging urban sites to create spaces for new communities to thrive.

 

We bring financial strength and operational flexibility to offer a range of project delivery options for potential clients and partners including traditional main contracting, design and- build, development partnering, and turnkey projects managed from site identification to long term maintenance.

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