Impressive pictures have emerged of what the redeveloped Kyle Centre in Ayr could look like once its had its multi-million pound makeover.
Ayrshire Live brought you the exclusive news yesterday that the former indoor shopping centre was being earmarked for an ambitious eight-screen cinema complex with associated bars, restaurants and family activities.
And today, we can give you a first glimpse of what the grand project could look like once complete.
Irish-based The Arc Cinema signed a long-term lease and will now team up with Squarestone Asset Management to become the leisure anchor at Ayr’s Kyle Centre.
Construction work will begin, pending relevant planning permissions, in 2023.
Coupled with South Ayrshire Council’s planned leisure centre on the Arran Mall site, which is also controlled by Squarestone Asset Management, this will see a key area in the heart of the town repurposed into what is hoped will be a "vibrant, cultural and leisure destination."
Tim Barlow, chief operating officer at Squarestone Asset Management, said: "The Arc Cinema is a great cultural contribution to the regeneration of Ayr town centre, supporting the vision South Ayrshire Council have set out to create.”
The Arc Cinema is a boutique cinema operator that currently has six sites across the UK and Ireland, with a further two UK sites under construction and due to open in mid-2021.
It specialises in providing a "VIP cinema experience" for the price of a standard ticket.
Along with the cinema at the Kyle Centre, plans include food and beverage outlets, a host of complementary leisure activities such as virtual reality, soft play, indoor golf experience and a refurbished car park.
Brian Gilligan, director at Melcorpo, which runs The Arc Cinema, said: "We are delighted to be working with Squarestone Asset Management to bring one of our state-of-the-art cinemas to the Kyle Centre in Ayr. We would like to express our grateful thanks to them for their support in helping make this possible.
"The large high-specification eight-screen cinema has been specially designed to ensure we become a leisure hub, enabling us to provide a focal point for the people of Ayr.
"Our customers love the fact that we offer a luxurious VIP experience, but we only charge standard cinema prices, and we think that unique combination is perfectly suited to Ayr."
South Ayrshire Council leader Peter Henderson said: "This is fantastic news and we look forward to welcoming the first new cinema to the town in over 80 years.
"The brand new, state-of-the-art, eight-screen cinema in the Kyle Centre will bring blockbuster movies, live cinema events and films for all the family."
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