'Save the Coronet' campaign begins as club faces uncertain future

The Coronet site on New Kent Road has been occupied by an entertainment venue since 1872.

The existing 1932 structure – which boasts Art Deco interiors – incorporates fragments of an 1879 building and was placed on the theatres at risk register by the Theatres Trust last autumn.

The building was used as a theatre until 1928 and remained open as a cinema until 1999. Since 2003 it has functioned as a nightclub and music venue.

The current operators say that they provide full and part-time employment to more than 100 people and bring more than 250,000 visitors to the Elephant each year.

The freehold of the Coronet changed hands last December along with the adjacent Elephant & Castle Shopping Centre in an £80 million deal.

New owners Delancey and APG are planning to replace the shopping centre with a new 'town centre' including hundreds of new homes.

So far more than 1,300 people have signed a petition calling on Delancey and Southwark Council to safeguard the future of The Coronet.

"It is still early days and we are just beginning the listening exercise, asking the community what it is they would like to see," said Delancey in a statement.

"Of course, we want to hear from all of our tenants and their future aspirations and needs.

"We have always been clear that the best way to achieve the full regeneration of the site is to redevelop the shopping centre including the Coronet site.

"However, there are no definitive plans for the Coronet with whom dialogue continues and, of course, the planning process is long and we are here to ask the questions and listen to the answers."

• Delancey and APG are hosting consultation events on the future of the shopping centre and its neighbouring buildings on Thursday 10 and Thursday 24 July.