A DERELICT cinema condemned as an “eyesore” which resembles a “pigeon’s nest” is facing calls to be demolished by both local residents and visiting holiday-makers.
The Regent in the Kent town of Deal has been widely condemned and yet only now could it finally be revamped – 60 years after showing its last screenings.
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The cinema opened in 1928 with 911 seats, before shutting in 1963 – finding a new life as a bingo hall before closing again in 2008.
Now there are plans to replace it with a new 49-seat picturehouse, plus a cafe and 12 homes – though developers say the art deco frontage, from 1933, will stay in place.
Bringing the site back into use has been welcomed, though there are also fears the proposed new cinema will be too small – with the mere 49 seats labelled “ridiculous”.
Owners James Wallace and Mak Digweed say the existing structure needs to be demolished due to its deteriorating condition, according to KentOnline.
Many people living in or coming to Deal appear to agree, including holiday-makers Sheila and Ray Chapman who visit the resort every summer.
Mrs Chapman said of the former cinema: “It is an eyesore – I am surprise it has not attracted vandalism.
“It is a pigeon’s nest at the moment.
“It is getting worse, so it will be a good thing if it is reopened as a cinema.”
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Another pair of visitors, Steve and Lesley Shaw from Leicestershire, also backed knocking the place down and starting again.
Mr Shaw said: “It is an empty building so it is a shame it is in such a state of disrepair.”
Tracey Thompson, who lived in Deal for 20 years, said of the new plans: “I think 49 seats is a bit too small.
“Deal is quite a large place now so I would have thought it would need more than that.
“Hopefully it will encourage people into the area. I remember when the old cinema was shut – that was a real shame and I think that was missed so hopefully it will be well-used but 49 seats is not a lot.”
And felllow resident Roy Humphrey cautioned: “It will be nice to have a cinema but we get so much on the TV now, I do not know if people will use it.
“It is a good idea and the practical thing to do. It will also give people something to do.”
The proposed new homes would be nine townhouses and three apartments.
A spokesman for the owners said: “The condition of the existing building requires a demolition and complete rebuild.
“These proposals will ensure that the iconic art deco style frontage will continue to grace Beach Street.
“The economic viability of the development means that a mixed-use project is the way forward.”
Other derelict old cinemas brought back into use include one in Fordingbridge in Hampshire, revitalised by a devoted film fan more than five decades after closing.
Another film buff managed to build a 1930s-style ABC cinema in the back garden of his Stoke-on-Trent home.
Meanwhile, a former 1930s art deco cinema in Leith in Scottish capital Edinburgh has recently been transformed into sought-after luxury flats.
Less impressive was a derelict former Odeon cinema in Newcastle city centre which collapsed in front of shocked pedestrians attending a gig nearby.
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