Prince Charles Cinema: a test case for cultural protection

UDRO report: when culture meets corporate landlordism

Prince Charles Cinema

The Prince Charles Cinema, one of London's most iconic independent cinemas

At the beginning of 2025, the Prince Charles Cinema launched #SaveThePCC after facing lease terms widely viewed as unreasonable from its landlord, linked to Criterion Capital.

This was more than a lease dispute. It was a stress test for how London protects cultural infrastructure.

A cultural outlier under pressure

Since 1962, the PCC has evolved from theatre to cinema, becoming the last independent cinema in the West End. Its programming — repertory seasons, marathons, sing-alongs — has made it a cultural institution rather than simply a venue.

Yet the reported lease proposal included:

• Rent significantly above market rate

• A six-month break clause tied to redevelopment approval

This follows a pattern: heritage entertainment sites converted into hospitality assets.

A detailed history of the dispute

The cultural history of the PCC proved to be both rich and varied. It started its life as a theatre in 1962 and was converted into a cinema in 1969. 

Over the years, the Cinema has always managed to stand out, despite there being a close concentration of cinemas in the surrounding Central London area. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, it got a reputation for unashamedly screening films that were deemed highly controversial at the time, including Caligula (1979) and The Evil Dead (1981). After being pulled from cinemas the previous year, the film Just a Gigolo (1978) had its 1979 premiere at the Prince Charles Cinema, with its star, David Bowie, in attendance.  

Its programming has remained unique, showcasing films that have otherwise ended their theatrical runs, selecting repertory films that are screened as part of their own, unique seasons at the PCC, and much more, including Double Features, Interactive “Sing-A-Long” showings and All-Night Movie Marathons. It is no surprise that it is a favourite among big players in the film industry, with Quentin Tarantino hailing the Cinema as a “Mecca” for lovers of quality films and Paul Thomas Anderson proclaiming the Cinema as his favourite in London: a significant statement considering the high volume and broad range of cinemas that our Capital City boasts. 

Any owner, when considering all the achievements of the PCC, both those listed above and more, especially as it is the last independent cinema in the West End, should be proud to have this cinema as part of their portfolio. However, the landlord in this instance is Zedwell LSQ, a crucial factor when considering its parent company, Criterion Capital, whose owner is the property developer Asif Aziz. Aziz was previously the owner of London Trocadero, an entertainment complex, which he later converted into a hotel, and most recently, was tied to the closure of the world’s oldest YMCA in Tottenham Court Road, buying the complex in late 2024, only for it to close in February 2025, to be redeveloped as a hotel. 

So, the news that during negotiations for a new lease, both the PCC’s landlord, Zedwell Lsq, and their parent company, Criterion Capital, reportedly demanded a rent that was far above market rate and an introduction of a break clause, requiring the tenant to vacate the premises at 6 months’ notice, if planning permission was granted to redevelop the building, was hardly surprising.

UDRO's strategy

A dedicated UDRO team was assigned to assemble a cultural-historical case for listing with Historic England.

UDRO wrote to the managing director of the PCC, offering its support, which would have entailed making an argument to Westminster Council that the Cinema should be treated as a Non-Designated Heritage Asset, with particular emphasis on the PCC’s recently granted status as an Asset of Community Value. This would have given the local community a six-month window to bid for the building if it were put up for sale, and would have afforded the Cinema further protections in line with Westminster Council’s planning policies and the overall National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). A decision was made not to pursue this legal route, given that some of its untested arguments did not give a solid ground for a robust defence of the PCC.

However, UDRO researchers had uncovered a breadth of cultural history. On this basis, UDRO approached Historic England about the viability of getting the building listed. This would have been based on the Cinema’s cultural significance, under the broader heading of "Historic Interest". Historic England replied (see full response, for download, below) that the connection between its cultural history and valued aspects of wider national history must not only be strong, but also inherent in the building itself. As the Cinema is architecturally unremarkable, Historic England had deemed that it had not met its high standards for listing.

Historic England Response - Charles House.pdf

Download PDF • 65KB

Nevertheless, the interaction resulted in a permanent liaison contact being set up between Historic England and UDRO.

What UDRO can learn

UDRO's decision to press for listing based on cultural history was not only tactical but deliberate, in large part due to the case on which the Urban Development Organisation was founded. In 2015, our Chief Executive, Alexander Kardos-Nyheim, saved his childhood home from demolition because he was able to prove that the wider block, which housed his flat, was a Spitfire factory during the Second World War. Peering into the actual life of the building does have its benefits, particularly in this case, as it was clear to the team from the beginning that the PCC provided no architectural interest. 

The broader warning

Westminster has since approved partial redevelopment above the cinema, albeit with safeguards protecting cinema operations.

This episode demonstrates two realities:

1. Public pressure works.

2. Cultural sites without statutory protection remain vulnerable.

London risks becoming architecturally bland and culturally hollow if independent institutions are replaced by hotel chains and speculative conversions.

UDRO is developing new strategies to protect cultural use where architectural merit alone is insufficient.

The outcome of this case was predictable. Criterion Capital has demonstrated a blatant disregard for London’s cultural heritage, relentlessly converting London Landmarks into hotels. The PCC’s suspicion, made in their bombshell statement at the beginning of the year, that their landlords’ demands were a clear signal of their intention to redevelop the building proved prescient, as in September, Westminster Council approved plans for the offices above the Cinema to be converted into a Capsule Hotel, though, crucially, a condition of this is that construction should not affect the cinema in any way. This is a clear win and an illustration of how public pressure can turn the tables on the powerful. London’s iconic West End should not be reduced to a Monopoly Board for Mr Aziz. 

Unsurprisingly, it is now rumoured that Aziz has another cinema among his never-ending chain of properties in his sights – Picturehouse Central. Since April, there have been restrictions on access to the Member’s Bar and the sale of drinks, specifically the sale of alcohol and the distribution of coffee in cups. According to an article by LondonCentric, this has been linked to Criterion, with court documents allegedly revealing their position that Picturehouse Central have forfeited their lease through non-payment of rent. Cinemas seem to be easy targets for developers. In March 2025, listing status was refused for the UK’s oldest working cinema, the Electric in Birmingham. In July 2025, Milton Keynes Council even publicly considered appealing against a Planning Inspector on the matter of a cinema. This was in relation to his decision to side with developers who were seeking to demolish the Point, the first American-style multiplex cinema in the UK. Cinemas are special places that hold memories for many, particularly those that are out of the ordinary. They are part of London’s and Britain’s unique cultural fabric.

UDRO's Head of Interventions, Conrad O'Callaghan, concludes: "Unfortunately, iconic cinemas are becoming a dying breed. If we are not careful, London will only be left with chain cinemas that are as unremarkable as their run-of-the-mill programmes."