A historic and beloved seafront cinema could be torn down and replaced with a new movie theatre and homes.

Long-awaited plans have been revealed to build a 49-seat picturehouse and cafe on the site in Deal currently occupied by The Regent.

Twelve homes are also planned for the land and part of the adjoining car park.

The unveiling of the plans follows years of campaigning from residents to save the crumbling building in Beach Street.

But The Regent is now considered beyond repair and is planned to be demolished – although the current iconic art deco front will be rebuilt to appear as it does today.

A spokesman for owners James Wallace and Mark Digweed said: “The condition of the existing building requires a demolition and complete rebuild.

“These proposals will ensure that the iconic art deco-style frontage will continue to grace Beach Street. The economic viability of the development means that a mixed use project is the way forward.”

The plan would mean the site would be reused as a cinema for the first time since 1963.

At present Deal has no movie theatres at all.

The scheme involves keeping the views towards the Timeball Tower.

The planners say open space in front of it would not only be kept but given a new lease of life with the café and an outdoor seating area.

The homes would comprise nine townhouses and three apartments.

The two-bedroom flats would be above the cinema and insulated from its sound. The houses, with their own gardens, would be behind the cinema.

At the front of the building the replacement curved entrance will have the new box office. The café would be at the side and open to everyone, not just cinemagoers.

There would also be an improvement to the public square by adding a connection through the site from South Street.

The Regent started out as a music hall in 1928 and became a cinema in 1933, with 911 seats. It closed 30 years later.

It then became a bingo hall for about 45 years until it shut in 2008 due to the deterioration of the building.

Its condition was worsened by a fire in June 2022.

Planning permission was obtained in 2019 to provide a three-screen cinema but that expired exactly three years later before any work could be done.

The spokesman added this week: “Before the opportunity for works to commence we were hit with the pandemic causing a downturn in entertainment and hospitality from which the cinema industry has not recovered and is questionable whether it ever will do.”

After the 2019 planning approval surveys were carried out, revealing the street structure supporting the pavilion had deteriorates to such an extent that the owners felt demolition was inevitable.

A consultation will seek residents’ views on the plan, which will launch on June 21. There are two consultation events - at 2pm on Wednesday, June 21, and 7pm on Thursday, June 22, which can be registered for at regentdeal.communityuk.site.

Views must be given by Thursday, June 28.

A spokesperson for the Reopen the Regent campaign group told KentOnline: “Whilst Reopen the Regent is pleased to see some progress at long last, on first sight today there is a lot to consider in these new proposals, and we have some concerns, not least the allowance of a mere 49 cinema seats for a community the size of Deal – plus its many visitors.

“So we are glad to have the opportunity to review the plans with our members in readiness to bring our questions and issues to the consultation sessions.”