Film is to return to the Granada cinema after a 43 year absence, and the decision on what is shown is to be passed to the people of Tooting.

Now a Gala bingo hall, the Granada cinema is an iconic feature in the Tooting landscape and has now been listed as an asset of community value (ACV).

The listing means that should the owners decide to sell, the community will have six months to get the money together to buy it before it goes to market.

To celebrate the listing, a community film night is planned for November 18, with the choice of film put to vote.

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Dan Watkins, former Conservative party candidate for Tooting, who campaigned for the ACV listing, said: "The doors of this iconic building will be open to the whole community and we hope everyone will want to watch a classic movie inside its spectacular auditorium.

"I'm running a poll on four film options that will fit into the time slot that Gala Bingo have kindly given us, so that local people can give their view and make this event a true community occasion."

The Granada Cinema was built and opened to the public as a cinema in 1931 and is considered to be one of the most spectacular cinemas in Britain. This was acknowledged when the fabric of the building – inside and out – was preserved via a subsequent Grade I listing. But while the physical structure of the building is fully protected, its availability to and use by the local community is far less certain. Like most historic cinemas, it suffered falling attendances over time and eventually ceased to be used as a cinema at all, closing in 1973.

The current owner is Gala Bingo and fortunately for the Tooting public and visitors from across the country who come to see the historic interiors of the Granada, Gala very kindly allows free-of-charge access to the building, whether it is to play bingo or just to walk round the building to see its palatial interior.

The four film choices are Singing in the Rain, Strangers on a Train, When Harry Met Sally and Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Vote in the poll above and the winner will be announced by Dan Watkins later this month.