Secret Cinema Seeks Permission for Two Month Takeover of Gunnersbury Park

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Licensing and planning applications submitted to Hounslow Council

Romeo and Juliet in Gunnersbury Park 2018. Picture: Secret Cinema

The organisers of Secret Cinema are applying to Hounslow Council to run another event in Gunnersbury Park next year.

They are seeking planning permission for a temporary change of use which will allow them to cordon off a large area of the park for two months. Access to the park will be maintained around the event site.

Secret Cinema ran a similar event in the park in 2018 with over 60,000 people attending 15 showings of Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet. The say their events are aimed at ‘a loyal, hyper-engaged audience of culture seekers predominantly from the ABC1 demographic.’ They have recently also run events based on a Casino Royale theme.

They say the Gunnersbury Park event will create 399 jobs which wherever possible will be offered to local people.

In their planning application they state that the design and build stage for the event will commence on 22 June and continue until 15 July. The highest structure will be over 19 metres. The showings will run from Wednesday to Sunday 6-11pm until 16 August as well as a ‘community screening’ on Tuesday 4 August. Then it will take six days to dismantle the structures.

The licensing application would enable them to sell alcohol from a number of bars within the fenced off area of the event until 11pm with the event venue cleared by 11.30pm.

You can email any comments on the licensing application to Licensing@hounslow.gov.uk and on the planning application to planning@hounslow.gov.uk.

There are meetings planned on 30 March and 29 June 2020 to explain the arrangements to local residents.