Arches Lane Theatre to Close After Battersea Power Station Ends Lease

Arches Lane Theatre, a 100-seat independent theatre in Wandsworth, faces permanent closure after its landlord, Battersea Power Station Development Company, unexpectedly exercised a break clause despite publicly celebrating the success of the theatre as “an important and highly valued resource for the local community.”

Led by award-winning Artistic Director Sharon Willems and Executive Director Leo Bacica—operating as non-profit Kibo Productions—Arches Lane Theatre provided free community access to the arts for local residents during Wandsworth's London Borough of Culture celebrations. It is set to be replaced by a commercial hospitality venture—just over a year after BPSDC awarded Kibo the space through a public competitive tender process. The eviction cuts short a joint three-year plan designed to increase local access to the arts.

Beyond its theatrical productions, Arches Lane Theatre is a cultural hub for the local community—hosting live music, stand-up comedy, cabaret, and serving as the local home for regular children's theatre classes. The theatre was fully programmed until the end of 2026 and has been forced to undertake the immediate cancellation of its autumn and winter schedules including programming for the Voila! Festival, the theatre's festive winter season and community initiatives after learning of its impending eviction.

“We are crushed by the decision to close Arches Lane Theatre. We were brought in by BPSDC to breathe life back into this theatre, and for the past year we gave everything we had to build a thriving community hub,” said Sharon Willems, Artistic Director of Arches Lane Theatre. “To deliver on that vision, only to be shut out of conversations around our future and blind-sided once the decision was made, is devastating.”

“In a year we created an open, accessible theatre where neighbours could connect, local children could experience their very first theatre outing, and visitors could get creative together—so that this new real estate development might begin to become a genuine, thriving neighbourhood. Culture and community aren't just buzzwords—they are essential to the vitality of this area, and they're good business.”

The theatre is being handed over to commercial hospitality operator "Off-Grid," despite the Battersea Power Station estate already hosting over 50 food and beverage outlets, including five bars and restaurants on Arches Lane.

The sudden forced eviction leaves Kibo Productions facing the urgent burden of dismantling, transporting, and storing specialist theatre equipment. They are launching an emergency crowdfunder that will cover these immediate operational costs while safeguarding the independent company through this abrupt closure.

Arches Lane Theatre is calling on the public to support its final scheduled programming (live performances will conclude 27 September) and to back its emergency crowdfunding campaign. Support the emergency crowdfunder here: http://bit.ly/3Sct77p

The theatre has formally raised the eviction with Nine Elms Ward Councillor Matt Corner and is in conversation with Wandsworth's Arts & Culture Team, The Theatres Trust, and the GLA (Greater London Authority) Culture at Risk team to navigate the closure and advocate for the preservation of independent cultural infrastructure in Wandsworth.