REDCAR AND CLEVELAND councillors visited the construction site at The Regent on Tuesday, to see how the cinema is progressing inside and out.
All is still firmly on track for completion in March, with a view to opening in the early summer. The venue itself is promising to be a truly unique addition to the town, with its rare, beachfront positioning a stone's throw from the shore.
The interior of the building is coming together now, with floor-to-ceiling glass windows surrounding the new café-bar area - where the views of the coast and out to sea are truly spectacular.
The café will hold 46 people in its main seating area, with a further 17 covers on the balcony, which will be protected from the elements by a wide canopy roof and high, glass balustrades.
The cinema houses three screen rooms, where the major focus has been on the quality of the acoustics. Electrical work is underway in preparation for the installation of state-of-the-art, 4k projectors. The screens themselves will be installed in the new year once the temperature inside the building is at its optimum.
Screen 3, upstairs, seats 55 people and will have a modern theme, reflecting the vision for the rest of Redcar in the coming months and years, while Screen 2, downstairs, will be a much more intimate cinematic experience.
Its artwork theme will be more traditional and art deco, harking back to the early days of the old Regent Cinema and featuring screen-printed posters of the acts who once graced the stage of the Redcar Pavilion, along with posters of the old station and some of the graffiti-style art which locals will distinctly remember from the side of the old cinema. There will be terraced, wall-to-wall seating for 35 people only, with a number of seats rescued and recycled from the previous building - which were originally crowd funded by members of the public.
Downstairs is also home to the largest, 95-seater Screen 1, where developers are looking to create another subtle artwork theme which reflects the cinema's iconic past: a theme based on 2007 blockbuster movie, Atonement, part of which was shot just outside on Redcar beach and featured many locals as extras.
Art deco features will be weaved throughout the interior, such as the bar design, large staircase in the main foyer with its brass balustrades, and the sloping gold canopy with downlights, which is to be installed at the entrance. The art deco theme is designed to give a feel of the former cinema's past life and glory days.
All this will be combined with state-of-the-art cinema technology and an extremely low carbon approach; whilst not quite carbon zero, the development far exceeds current building regulations and its all-electric infrastructure is designed to be as efficient as possible.
Councillor Chris Gallacher, Cabinet Member for Economic Growth, said:
“This will undoubtedly be a very special place that Redcar can be proud of, and the best view from a cinema in Britain. There aren't many places where you can sit and enjoy something to eat and drink with panoramic views like that, before seeing a good film as well! It will give a lot more people a reason to come to the town, who perhaps otherwise wouldn't have done.
“BAM Construction are doing a sterling job led by project manager, Mark Laidlaw. They have met or exceeded every target they've had and everybody involved is very excited about the end result."
The project is being funded by part of a £20million investment from the Tees Valley Mayor and Combined Authority.
Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “It's fantastic to see how the Regent Cinema is progressing and it's certain to be an impressive, modern venue which also pays respect to the much-loved old cinema. This project is just one example of how our funding is helping to improve our town centres and communities right across the region and I'm sure it will draw in the crowds once it's opened, helping to bring more people to Redcar and, in turn, support our brilliant local businesses."
Re-routing of the sewerage system to accommodate the building has finished and materials designed to cope with the proximity to the North Sea have been selected to allow this reincarnated Regent, which looks to celebrate the past whilst embracing the future, to stand the test of time.
The images and new video footage will be available to view on our social media channels.