ACTON High Street will gain a new three-screen cinema, restaurant and bar if Ealing Council’s cabinet accepts a plan to sell the Acton Library building to independent cinema chain Curzon Cinemas.

The library was moved into the newly-rebuilt Everyone Active Acton Centre earlier this year and the old listed library building was put on the market.

Proceeds from the sale will help to pay for the £19m council investment in Acton centre.

The council received five bids for the site. Two proposed turning the site into flats. One suggested flats above shops. Another proposed a community arts centre with a cinema space, theatre and a bar.

The fifth, from Curzon Cinemas, was a three-screen cinema, along with a restaurant, bar and three flats on the top floor.

All the bids were assessed against the same criteria, including their contribution to the regeneration and vitality of the town centre, the likelihood of the project being delivered, the impact on the listed building and the value of the offer.

The Curzon proposal came out on top because of its positive impact on the town centre, cultural benefit, speed of delivery and commercial viability.

Curzon is recommended as the preferred bidder and a decision on whether or not to go ahead will be made by Ealing Council’s cabinet on Tuesday, December 16.

Councillor Julian Bell, leader of Ealing Council, said: “I believe a top independent cinema, like Curzon, will be a major asset for Acton. This is their fourth outer London cinema and getting them to come to Acton is a major coup.

“Curzon has a proven track record and recent experience of transforming listed buildings and the cinema will add to the high street, complementing the rebuilt Everyone Active Acton Centre and plans to rebuild the Oaks complex. It’s a good time to be living in Acton.

“We are still keeping up the pressure to return a cinema to Ealing town centre.

“After years of broken promises from Empire, we made a compulsory purchase order in July and an independent inspector will consider our case at the inquiry in April 2015.

“Cinemas are great for town centres I am determined to see Ealing’s open again.”

Mel Alcock, chief operating officer for Curzon Cinemas, said: "The wonderful, historic Acton Library is a great home for Curzon's unique mix of film and event programming.”