Really Local Group is pleased to announce a new entertainment venue for Hallsville Quarter located in the heart of Canning Town.

Really Local Group, the cultural infrastructure operator specialising in “putting the heart back in the high street”, announces its latest and third project launch this year – a new entertainment venue for Hallsville Quarter, development company Linkcity’s major regeneration scheme for the London Borough of Newham at Canning Town.

As part of the third phase of the neighbourhood transformation, Really Local Group will deliver the main cultural venue for locals, providing the only and first three-screen cinema in Canning Town in over 40 years, a café, bar and informal co-working spaces. Designed by Wren Architects, the venue is scheduled for delivery Q4 2023. The public cinema will have one large screen and two smaller screens with approximately 230 seats in total. Really Local Group is an accredited London Living Wage employer and will provide approximately 10 jobs for Newman locals in a variety of fields including bar management, cinema programming and events.

Phase 3 of the Hallsville Quarter regeneration scheme will build on Phases 1 and 2 which Linkcity has already delivered. Once Phase 3 is complete, this transformational scheme will provide 1,100 new homes, over 323,000 sq ft (30,000 sq m) of leisure and retail space, and more than 32,000 sq ft (2,975 sq m) of space for community facilities, as well as new public spaces, pedestrian links, cyclist provision and 400 parking spaces for visitors.

The venue will also hold a special partnership with London Film School, one of the world’s leading postgraduate film institutions, with students gaining exclusive access to use the venue as a satellite location ahead of and following their move to London City Island, the next door cultural and artistic neighbourhood on Leamouth Peninsula. Really Local Group’s relationship with London Film School is built on providing an environment for students to promote their work, with the venue playing host to an additional two ‘project’ rooms to the cinema screens which students can utilise for editing, workshops and studying. Really Local Group will provide London Film School a further venue for their students to develop a programme of screenings as well as workshops.

All spaces of the venue will be open to the public and embody the successful blueprint Really Local Group is now renowned for – committed to regenerating a new style of high street that is bespoke to the local area and demographic. In 2020, Really Local Group have also announced their partnership with Southwark Council to restore the iconic central marketplace in Bermondsey as well as a partnership with Moorgarth to open a cinema, music, and event space in Reading. 2019 saw Really Local Group acquire the former Pressing Plant unit at The Old Vinyl Factory in Hayes from U+I and the successful launch of Catford Mews, the new cultural venue for Lewisham.

Linkcity’s Hallsville Quarter is set to bring a new retail and dining destination for Canning Town; establishing a new legacy for the £3.7 billion regeneration E16 area. Hallsville Quarter will soon be

home to an influx of high street and independent shops and restaurants and already has welcomed many retail tenants, including Morrisons, Superdrug, Cafe #08, Ibis Hotel and The Gym.

Preston Benson, Founder of Really Local Group commented: “We are very excited to enhance the cultural infrastructure offer in Canning Town, working with London Film School to bring cultural empowerment as well as job and lifestyle opportunities to the local area. It is our aim to make this new venue for Hallsville Quarter a destination for the people of Canning Town and the surrounding area to call home. We are very pleased to be working with developer Linkcity which was a key enabler in this opportunity.”

Rokhsana Fiaz, Mayor of Newham, said: “Really Local Group’s planned new multi-use cultural venue at Hallsville Quarter is a significant milestone for Canning Town. As well as the first cinema in the area for some 40 years, it’ll will be a welcome addition to the neighbourhood as we progress with transforming the area into a place that provides culturally enriching opportunities and London living wage jobs for local residents. This is so critical as we respond to the economic impact of Covid-19, and this new development will be a much welcomed contribution to our ‘Towards a Better Newham’ recovery strategy. I’m also really excited by the link-up with the internationally acclaimed London Film School. Having done one of their courses a few years back, this partnership will offer students a brilliant venue to professionally showcase their work to new audiences.”