News

8th September 2026

A new chapter for the Picture House Theatre

The Sunninghill Trust is delighted to provide an update to our local community on the future of the Picture House theatre. When the Sunninghill Trust acquired the building from RBWM in May 2025, it ensured that this treasured local landmark would remain in community use — and now two key steps on the road to the theatre’s transformation have been reached.

The first step is that the planning application for the theatre’s renovation (reference: 26/01819/FULL) has now been submitted. The determination date is 22 October 2026. We would encourage any letters of support to be submitted using the following link: 26/01819/FULL

The second key step is that a building contractor has been commissioned to begin intial works and surveying, along with providing the more detailed costings. All this will be done against an agreed architectural design that has evolved over the last year in consultation with the Cordes Hall, and which will preserve the essence of what was there before.

Although the exact start date for construction is yet to be finalised, the long-term plan is clear: once the renovation is complete, the theatre will be leased to Cordes Hall who will fit out the interior and run the theatre alongside Cordes Hall itself as part of the new Sunninghill Arts & Community Hub, creating a vibrant cultural and community space for everyone.

The Sunninghill Trust is looking forward to collaborating closely with the Cordes Hall Trustees and Management Committee through a joint working group and looks forward to bringing this project to life with the community’s support.

Thank you to everyone who has supported the project so far. We look forward to sharing further updates as work progresses.