Hertsmere and REEL have signed an agreement pointing to a 6 or 7 screen cinema in a new Borehamwood leisure quarter. No site and no planning bid yet.

Borehamwood is a step closer to a bigger cinema. Hertsmere Borough Council and REEL Cinemas have signed a memorandum of understanding, and the council’s leader says it points to a six or seven screen cinema at the centre of a new leisure quarter in the town.

The council announced the agreement on Wednesday 9 September. Its press release describes a “multi-screen cinema” without giving a number. The screen count comes from the leader’s own written update to full council for next week’s meeting, which calls the deal “a major step towards a 6 or 7 screen cinema as part of a new leisure quarter in central Borehamwood”.

REEL already runs a four-screen cinema in the town, at the Metropolis Centre, 84 Shenley Road, according to the company’s own listing. The council calls that site The Point. So the plan, as described, would add two or three screens to what Borehamwood has now.

What has actually been agreed, and what has not

A memorandum of understanding is not a contract to build anything. The council’s own wording is careful, and it is worth separating the two halves.

Agreed:

  • a memorandum of understanding between the council and REEL Cinemas
  • continued dialogue to progress cinema options, location and development opportunities
  • that REEL’s existing cinema keeps trading as normal while the plans develop

Not agreed:

  • a site for the new cinema
  • a planning application, which the council says the proposal will be subject to
  • a start date, an opening date or a cost

The council also says the proposal “will form part of the relevant development plan”, which means it has to work its way through the Local Plan process as well as the planning system.

Borehamwood cinema: what exists now and what the memorandum of understanding points to A comparison. Today Borehamwood has a four-screen REEL cinema at the Metropolis Centre, 84 Shenley Road, trading and unaffected. The proposal is a six or seven screen cinema in a new leisure quarter in central Borehamwood, with no site chosen, no planning application submitted and no dates published. The memorandum of understanding was announced on 9 September 2026 and the leader reports it to full council on 16 September 2026. Borehamwood's cinema: now, and what has been agreed so far A memorandum of understanding is an agreement to keep talking, not a permission to build. NOW, AND STILL OPEN 4 screens REEL at the Metropolis Centre, 84 Shenley Road, Borehamwood Trading as normal while the plans are developed PROPOSED, NOT PERMITTED 6 or 7 screens, in a new leisure quarter in central Borehamwood No site chosen, no planning application, no dates published Sources: Hertsmere Borough Council news release, 9 September 2026; leader's update to full council, 16 September 2026; REEL Cinemas. Graphic by The Borehamwood Post
The screen counts are the only hard numbers published so far. Everything else about the new cinema is still to be settled.

What the two sides said

Cllr Jeremy Newmark, leader of the council, called it “fantastic news for Borehamwood and one of the first outcomes of our major town centre regeneration investment”. He described the proposal as “a new, state-of-the-art multiplex premium format cinema run by REEL at the heart of the town’s planned new leisure quarter”, and linked it to the council’s Elstree Immersive Experience venture and to Borehamwood as “an emerging screen tourism destination”.

Sunil Suri, director of REEL Cinemas, said the company has been in the town since 2003. “Our aim is simple: to give Borehamwood a cinema it can be proud of, one that is part of the community and of the area’s rich film heritage,” he said.

The existing cinema, and a deadline in the small print

The most immediate line in the announcement is not about the new cinema at all. Cllr Newmark said the council will work with Elstree and Borehamwood Town Council and with REEL “to sustain the operation of the current cinema site after our initial support package comes to an end later this year”.

That is the first published mention we can find of a support package for the existing cinema. We could not find its value, its terms or its end date anywhere on the council’s website or in its committee papers, so we are not going to guess at any of the three. If the terms are published, we will report them.

The practical point for filmgoers is simpler. The council says REEL’s existing cinema “will continue to operate as normal while the plans are developed”.

The other screen project on the agenda

The cinema is not the only screen venture the council is running. Elstree Immersive Experience Ltd, company number 17079581, is one of the council’s arms-length companies. It was formed in March 2026 and its board is still preparing for the formal launch of the attraction.

Full council is asked on 16 September to confirm two independent non-executive directors for it. The report says the post drew more than 40 applications, six were interviewed, and the panel rated the field strongly enough to ask for two appointments instead of the one originally planned. Both would serve four-year terms to 1 October 2030.

What it means for you

  • Nothing changes at the cinema this week. REEL on Shenley Road is open as normal, and the council says it stays that way while the plans develop.
  • There is nothing to comment on yet. Consultation comes with a planning application, and none has been submitted.
  • Watch the council meeting on Wednesday 16 September at 7pm, at the Civic Offices on Elstree Way. The leader reports on the cinema in person and takes questions.
  • For parking, REEL’s own page points to the council multi-storey behind the cinema on Furzehill Road. Our parking guide has the tariffs and the other town centre car parks.
  • If you are planning an evening out, our things to do guide covers what else is open in and around the town.

Sources