A community interest company will manage Maryport’s former Carlton Cinema.
Maryport Horizons CIC was set up in November last year to oversee and plan some of the new developments in the town.
On Tuesday, Cumberland Council’s executive agreed that the social enterprise would lease the prominent Senhouse Street building.
It will also enter into a grant funding agreement with the council to make the venue a key destination, supporting the wider regeneration of Maryport, the authority said.
The building is being transformed into a cultural hub with a focus on music and the arts.
Next door, a derelict property has been removed to create the new entrance, box office and bar, all housed in a contemporary extension.
The venue’s auditorium will accommodate 280 people and the first floor has been converted into a co-working, small office and workshop spaces.
The second floor provides further flexible commercial space.
The Carlton is due to open in spring next year.
Catherine Eve, chair of Maryport Horizons and a business owner in Maryport, said: “I am hugely optimistic for the future of the Carlton and our town.
“We want this to be a multi-use space with something for everyone. That could be music gigs, comedy nights and theatre productions, gatherings for older people, youth festivals and young enterprise markets – the opportunities are boundless.
“By managing this building, as well as the new outdoor event space on the harbourside, Maryport Horizons is aiming to create a thriving event-focused economy. We want those who live and work here to have great reasons to come into town, and then attract even more visitors to see what Maryport has to offer.”
Leader of Cumberland Council Mark Fryer, added: “The Carlton will be – for now – the final step in this phase of Maryport’s regeneration.
“Add this to the new Maritime Museum, the transformed Maryport Activity Centre, the new skatepark, Prom café, Shiver Me Timbers play area and splashpark, Shipping Brow Gallery, new shopfronts, additional town centre homes, and some brilliant public realm and this has kickstarted the town’s fantastic future.
“It is great to partner with Maryport Horizons on the Carlton and the harbourside event space. Their truly local connections will help the success of these new destinations.”
