A TEESSIDE cinema is undergoing a multi-million pound revamp so it can show the latest blockbusters.
Regent Cinema, based on Redcar’s seafront,Ā is set to reopen after the plans for a multiplex atĀ nearby Coatham were dropped.
The Regent Cinema has been closed since April 2018 after serious structural problems were found in and outside the building.
But nowĀ Redcar and Cleveland Council is planning on spendingĀ Ā£30mĀ improving the Regent.
The pot will fund schemes under the banners “Revitalising Redcar” and an “Indigenous Growth Programme”.
Hundreds of peopleĀ turned out last year outside the Regent to try to persuade the council to reopen the cinema..
The RegentĀ is a big part of Redcarās seafront history as the cinema dates back to 1920s.
Now the Multiplex isnāt coming to Coatham, what will be coming?
On the site of the old Redcar Bowl Leisure Centre there will be a 40-bed hotel, indoor leisure-based facilities, also landscaping and a car park.
Council Leader Sue Jeffrey said: “We promised we would secure the future of The Regent ā and now weāre going to deliver.”
“We promised we would attract investment in Coatham and improve our tourism and leisure offer across the borough – and weāre delivering on that too.
“I would like to say a big thank you to residents who have been so patient with us while we have been working to make this announcement.
“I hope we are now going to be able to move quickly to bring back our cinema and get building on the Coatham site.
“We have a thriving tourism economy and have seen visitor numbers rise again this year but we need more overnight accommodation so that people stay longer in our borough.”
Councillor Carl Quartermain, cabinet member for culture, tourism and communications, said: “This plan for The Regent is the best option and will ensure we can provide cinema entertainment fit for the 21st Century while still having the kind of unique, cinema experience we all love in Redcar.”
Further āleisure-based developmentā would be brought forward as a second phase.
The outlined proposals will be discussed at the cabinetĀ in March.
More detailed reports will be published in the coming months.
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