Former theatre set to become three-screen cinema

Campaigners are opposed to the move

A former theatre in West Sussex is set to be turned into a three-screen cinema, a move which has prompted concern from residents.

Clair Hall in Haywards Heath will be replaced with a cinema which will include a stage for live performances and a food and drink outlet, Mid Sussex District Council said.

Marion Wilcock, from the Save Clair Hall campaign, told BBC Radio Sussex residents would lose a "community asset".

Council leader Robert Eggleston said the local authority had "looked closely" at community proposals, but "no viable scheme came forward to replicate what is on that site now".

The future of Clair Hall, which served as a vaccination centre during the Covid-19 pandemic, has been under scrutiny since it was closed in 2020, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Mr Eggleston said the new cinema would be of "significant value to the town and to the district".