Work has officially started to revamp a former cinema in West Cumbria.
Maryport’s historic Carlton Cinema is being brought back to life in £3 million project that is being managed by Cumberland Council.
It is set to become a new creative hub, with an indoor event and performance space, studios and workshops.
A temporary road closure will be put in place outside the building in the heart of the town from Monday 25 September to allow for the demolition of an adjoining derelict building, the former Ogni’s Cafe, at 28 Senhouse Street.
The road closure, which stretches between the Crosby Street and High Street junctions, is expected to be in place for three weeks. The highway will then reopen with a slightly narrower carriageway.
Traffic will be diverted via Crosby Street, John Street and High Street, while access will remain open for pedestrians and dismounted cyclists.
The work is being funded by Cumberland Council and the Government’s Future High Street Fund and is expected to be completed by Summer 2024.
Leader of Cumberland Council, Councillor Mark Fryer, said: “It is great to see work is beginning on the Carlton. This is a really prominent and important building in Maryport and I am really pleased to see the council’s regeneration team bringing it back to life.
“It is an exciting time now so many projects are underway in Maryport. This is a new era for the town,”
The Carlton was built in the 1830s as a bank and went on to become a cinema and, more recently, housed a pottery business and small indoor market.
It had been closed for a number of years before being bought by the Council.
The project is part of the wider £12 million regeneration of Maryport which includes the opening of Christ Church as a new Maritime Museum, the creation of the new Shipping Brow Gallery, major high street improvements, and – pending Government approval – the revitalisation of the harbourside, promenade and the Wave Centre.
Those with any questions about the road closure can call the Cumberland Council Highways Hotline on 0300 373 3736 or send a message via the Cumberland Council website, quoting the reference TTROC/8329.
