A new events and entertainment venue will replace a former cinema in Romford town centre, it has been revealed.
Lumiere is set to open at the site of the former Premiere Cinemas in The Mercury Shopping Centre on March 3 next year.
Premiere Cinemas closed in August after 12 years in the shopping centre.
The new venue - thought up by Mercury manager and Romford Film Festival founder Spencer Hawken - will offer a mix of mainstream film releases, independent screenings, live comedy and performing arts and events.
It will be run by new non-profit cooperative the Romford Film Trust, with the public able to join as a member to get discounted tickets and see any profit returned to them in the form of 'Lumiere Credits'.
Membership will cost £30 a year, and fees will go towards improving the venue.
Spencer said: "We want to create an inclusive and engaging space where the community can come together to enjoy a variety of experiences.
"Lumiere will be a place to discover new films, revisit classics, and participate in unique events."
READ MORE: Premiere Cinemas Romford closure: Recorder readers 'absolutely gutted'
"While people will be able to just walk in and watch a film or show, the benefit of Lumiere comes in the form of membership, and that’s where the Romford Film Trust comes in.
"Members will get discounted rates similar to Premiere Cinemas’ pricing; that membership cost won’t be used to pay for stock or wages, but improvements to the environment."
The plan is to have four of Lumiere's screens showing the major releases each week, three screens dedicated to indie movies, arthouse and niche films, and the final screen reserved for events, exhibitions and live entertainment like cabaret.
A film quiz will be run in this final screen every Monday night, while - from June - two screens will show cartoons and family classics every Saturday as part of 'Saturday morning pictures'.
Lumiere also plans to provide free films for the over-60s at certain times on Thursdays, with free tea or coffee in the winter.
Spencer said the idea was born from the need to change the currently "broken" cinema system.
READ MORE: Premiere Cinemas closure: Romford Film Festival will 'live on'
He told the Recorder: "We want to create something for generations to come, that builds such a strong feeling of love, that even if the space in ten or 20 years becomes unavailable, we can move it to a new space."
Non-members film tickets are set to be priced at £6.99, while members will pay £4, and a family-of-four will pay £18.
Romford Film Trust plans to crowdfund £750,000 for Lumiere, over three years, to support the opening and improvement of the venue, with the aim of eventually securing arts funding.
For more information or to support the crowdfunder, visit crowdfunder.co.uk/p/lumiere-romford---former-premiere-cinema.
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