Gosport: New plans for the Criterion after being closed for two years

The Mayor of Gosport Jamie Hutchison met the venue's previous owner Kam Patel and council leader Peter Chegwyn at the site

A historic cinema which has been closed for two years will be given a new lease of life.

The Criterion, in Forton Road, Gosport, will be turned into a multi-purpose cinema, theatre and live music venue.

The building, which first opened in 1912, has been bought by Gosport Borough Council as part of a £600,000 investment.

The authority said the building was in "remarkably good condition" and the new venue could open in two years.

The site was run as a cinema and theatre until 1968. It then became a bingo hall and closed in March 2020.

The bingo hall was closed at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic

Council leader Peter Chegwyn described the Criterion as "an important and much-loved part of Gosport's history".

"I'm delighted that we've been able to save Gosport's last surviving cinema and theatre building from demolition," he said.

Mr Chegwyn added that the council's aim was to restore the venue to its former glory and provide Gosport "with an entertainment venue of which we can be proud".

The purchase was funded from the council's capital fund for major one-off costs and will not affect day-to-day spending on services, the borough council said.