Abbey Hall Update July 2025

Abingdon-on-Thames Town Council is committed to doing everything possible to ensure that we retain a cinema in the town centre.

In recent months, the Council has been working on the potential sale of the Abbey Hall, the current base for the Abbey Cinema, to the cinema operators. This would allow them to invest in the building in a way that the Council does not have the financial resources to achieve.

This follows £250, 000 investment in the building by the Town Council to deal with the asbestos and Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) that was discovered in the building.

“We want to see a thriving cinema in the centre of Abingdon, and we have been working with Abbey Cinema Ltd to transfer the building to them so that they can carry out their ambitious investment plans,” said Cllr. Jim Halliday, Leader of the Town Council.

“We remain committed to working through the legalities so that we safeguard the future of publicly owned areas around the building whilst allowing the cinema to go from strength to strength.”

The current lease held by the Abbey Cinema Ltd ends on 31st August 2025, and they need to be able to book their Autumn schedule. The Town Council is therefore working at pace to agree the transfer of the Abbey Hall as soon as the legalities have been dealt with.