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Work begins on new look Strand Arts Centre

Redevelopment of cinema to maintain 'art deco Charm'

Restoration work on the Strand Arts Centre has begun, with the project expected to be completed in summer 2026.

The owners say the £6.5m project is aimed at preserving Northern Ireland's only art deco picture house and delivering "a new home for the arts" in east Belfast.

This year is the venue's 90th anniversary, having been built during what some call the golden age for Belfast cinema in the 1930s.

"It's going to enable the only surviving example of an art décor picture house in Northern Ireland to be preserved," said Mimi Turtle, Chief Executive of Strand Arts Centre.

A woman, Mimi Turtle, wearing a cream coloured jumper. She has brown shoulder length hair, and behind her are blue coloured bookshelves.
Mimi Turtle, Chief Executive of Strand Arts Centre, said the works will bring modern facilities that artists and audiences demand

She said it had taken eight years to gather all the funds for the project, and includes investments from Belfast City Council, Ulster Garden Villages, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and the UK government.

In 2020, Ms Turtle suggested that the loss of income during Covid 19 threatened the survival of the cinema complex altogether.

An archive image of the Strand Cinema situated on the corner of two perpendicular streets. It's signs are in blue, red and white. There are some classic cars on the road.
The owners say the £6.5m project is aimed at preserving Northern Ireland's only art deco picture house
Strand Arts Centre A generated image of the plans for the new Strand Arts Centre. It is a white, art décor building with green panels above the door. Strand Arts Centre
An artist's impression of the new-look arts centre

"I think the project is a lovely balance between bringing back and restoring some of the original features, and elements that bring the latest technology and the kind of facilities that artists and audiences demand," said Ms Turtle.

'It's a big job'

"It's a big job," said Johanna Leech, programme manager at the Strand Arts Centre.

"We're working really closely with the architects in our team and the contractors just to make sure that there aren't bits we're going to miss, because it's such a loved building and because it's got that art déco charm.

"We wanted to make sure that we're keeping all the bits, like the curves and the spaces that everyone knows and loves the Strand for."

A woman with long dark brown hair in a plait is smiling and looking into the camera. She is wearing a blue hard hat, a yellow jumper and dark-rimmed glasses.
Joanna Leach is the programme manager at the Strand Arts Centre

Ms Leach highlighted the challenge for cinemas to get audiences through the door.

The centre staff say the new venue will be a "hub for the community", catering for a range of entertainment, including comedy, theatre, and a licenced café.

"It's about being flexible and working with what people are looking for in entertainment these days," said Ms Leach.

A blond haired woman, wearing a high visibility jacket and blue hard hat, standing in a cinema theatre that is currently undergoing renovation. The walls are red, and the floor brown. She is wearing a black raincoat.
Emma Hart is the marketing manager at Strand Arts Centre

"We're definitely going to keep the art déco charm that everyone knows and loves about the Strand," said Emma Hart, marketing manager at Strand Arts Centre.

"It'll be a really unique place to come into. It'll still feel like an art déco picture house".