New life is set to be breathed into the Regal Cinema in Highams Park with refurbishments including a café, bar, two new screens and 30 new homes.

In March, Waltham Forest Council approved a planning application to redevelop the site and work is expected to begin in early 2019.

Mammoth Capital, owners of the cinema, and the council are keen to restore the locally-listed asset to its former glory and restore its façade in keeping with the building’s heritage and history.

Bal Chima, managing Derector of Mammoth Capital said: “Growing up in east London and having seen and been involved in its evolution from a once undesirable area to a magnet for young professionals has been intriguing and enjoyable.

“We jumped at the opportunity to develop a historic landmark within the heart of an increasingly cosmopolitan Highams Park.”

The Regal building opened in 1911 as the Highams Park Electric Theatre, before closing as a cinema in 1971.

The project is expected to take 18 months to complete and, when finished, will bring the number of cinemas in the borough to three.

Councillor Simon Miller, cabinet member for economic growth and high streets, said: “It is fitting that this work will begin as we embark on a spectacular year as London’s first Borough of Culture in 2019.

“Having an entertainment venue like this will help to support a thriving night time economy in the north of the borough.

“This project will be a terrific boost for Highams Park. The area already has a strong sense of community, and regeneration of the cinema will see it further develop into a small but important independent-led cultural centre.”