Redcar's art deco Regent Cinema future guaranteed

The future of an art deco cinema has been guaranteed as part of a seaside town's £30m revitalisation project.

Regent Cinema in Redcar closed for the "foreseeable future" in April due to "significant structural problems".

Redcar and Cleveland Council has now said it will restore it using investment funding from the Tees Valley Combined Authority.

The authority announced development plans for the Coatham area on the site of the old Redcar Bowl.

These would include a 40-bed hotel and an indoor leisure centre, but plans for a new cinema on that site have now been dropped.

It said further details and timings would be released in due course.

Councillor Carl Quartermain, cabinet member for culture and tourism, said: "This plan for the Regent will ensure we can provide cinema entertainment fit for the 21st Century while still having the kind of unique cinema experience we all love."

"Creating the hotel and leisure facilities at Coatham have been long term ambitions and vital to our commitment to grow our economy.

"Visitor numbers have doubled over the past four years and this development will bring confidence to organisers and businesses that Redcar is open to investment and able to accommodate national events and new attractions."