Changes at Ashford Picturehouse at Elwick Place

The Ashford Picturehouse at Elwick Place will soon come under new management. This was subject to approval by the councillors of Ashford Borough Council, and now following an Extraordinary Council meeting on Thursday 14 March, council members have agreed to proceed.

The assignment of the Picturehouse lease to Ashford Cinema Ltd (ACL) as part of a transfer of all cinema operations and assets, including staff, will support the future vitality and economic development of Ashford Town Centre. They also agreed that Ashford Cinema Ltd enter into a service agreement with The Big Picture Limited for them to manage the day-to-day operation of the cinema on their behalf.

Further updates will be provided in due course.  

Picturehouse Cinemas will hand the six-screen cinema and restaurant to Ashford Borough Council who will operate the venue with an industry specialist.

The location will continue to give audiences in Ashford access to a great range of films and events. The council aims to continue the entertainment offer in the town centre, alongside the popular range of eating, drinking and leisure venues at Elwick Place. All staff will remain employed at the venue.

Clare Binns, Managing Director of Picturehouse Cinema says: “It's been a pleasure to serve our customers in Ashford, and we want to thank the audiences who have visited the Picturehouse over the years. We've taken the hard decision to leave Elwick Place but know the cinema is in safe hands with Ashford Borough Council. We're excited to see how they'll grow the venue and continue to show films at this beautiful state-of-the-art cinema in the coming years.”

Cllr Noel Ovenden, Leader of Ashford Borough Council says: “We have been in discussions with Picturehouse over how we could maintain Elwick Place’s entertainment offer, and we are pleased to be able to keep the cinema operating for the benefit of our residents, wider community, town centre tenants and regular cinema goers.”

The council is stepping in to take over the day-to-day operations with an industry specialist providing expert advice and support.

We are currently in a transition period with the anticipated handover happening in April, however for the moment it’s very much business as usual for cinema goers.

Picturehouse Members will be contacted directly about any time remaining on their account and customers with pre-bookings will be notified about their upcoming ticket bookings.