Middlesbrough cinema planned in town centre leisure overhaul

Captain Cook Square is set to be transformed as a regional leisure hub

A three screen "boutique cinema" has been approved as part of plans to revitalise part of Middlesbrough.

It will join recent leisure attractions such as a gaming centre, e-sports centre and bars and restaurants at Captain Cook Square.

The town centre has lost a number of well-known retailers, with the closure of the House of Fraser, Debenhams and Marks and Spencer.

There were no objections to the plan, which was approved by councillors.

"A leisure destination"

Planning officer Paul Clarke told councillors: "We need to look at how the town centre evolves to survive. We've seen in recent times that not just Middlesbrough town centre but town centres up and down the country are suffering.

"As part of the council's plan to help regenerate the town it is proposed to change how Captain Cook Square operates and turn it into more of a leisure destination to help bring more footfall and activity back into the town to help maintain, if not boost, the rest of that retail core."

Regeneration project manager Nasreen Younis told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the cinema would target a mostly mainstream audience, with 204 seats across three screens.

Ms Younis added: "We've been working with the cinema operator for well over a year. Its operator has four other outfits nationally, none in this region. It's a family-run business, they tend to be based on refurbing town centre derelict properties.

"They want mainstream with the option to put on specific other films like opera-related and others."