THE silver screen is close to making a return in Ealing with a multimillion pound development planned for the site of the derelict Empire Cinema.

Ealing Council was this week given approval by the Secretary of State to acquire the land from Empire Cinemas, who have six weeks to appeal against the compulsory purchase order (CPO).

Plans include a 1,000 seat Picturehouse cinema along with a complex of shops, bars and restaurants.

For years the building near the town hall has been the ghost of the high street, with only the frontage left.

Ealing Council leader Julian Bell said he was "extremely pleased" the CPO had been approved and said it would revitalise Ealing and create more jobs.

Land Securities has been chosen by Ealing Council to develop the site and are expected to start work late next year, with hopes to be finished by 2018 when Crossrail is due to be complete.

Land Securities development director Jonathan Levy said: “The decision is crucial in allowing us to deliver a comprehensive film quarter that connects Walpole Park with Bond Street and Ealing Broadway, creating a new public square.”

Rosalind Berka, 22, has returned home to Ealing after studying at Durham University and said the return of a cinema after seven years would be a relief for the community.

“I’m so happy! It’ll spruce Ealing up,” she said.

“We always use to go when we were younger to the cinema and it shut when we were at the age when there wasn’t much to do.

“We were too young to go to bars and a bit old to spend the night in with our parents.”

Lisa Neaverson, 21, lives on the other side of Walpole Park, a 10 minute walk from the cinema site.

She said: “It’s great, everything is so close together in Ealing and I really don’t understand why such a prime site has been left alone for so along.

“There are so many restaurants in the area opening up and it’s literally a crime that no one has done anything with the poor old cinema!”