Plans Submitted For Theatre At Ashford's Former Mecca Bingo Hall
Ashford Borough Council (ABC) has formally lodged plans for a new £7.5 million theatre inside the town's former Mecca Bingo and Odeon cinema building, in a move council bosses believe will help "revitalise Ashford town centre."
From Empty Bingo Hall To Planning Application
The Lower High Street site has stood empty since 2018, when Mecca Bingo pulled out of the town.
Contractors began preliminary strip-out and asbestos removal work in May 2026, and the council has now submitted a planning application to itself to convert the unlisted property, according to KentOnline.
What The New Venue Will Include
Under the scheme, ABC plans to develop the front and middle sections of the building into a "flexible performance space," alongside a gallery, cafe, bar and several meeting rooms.
Planning documents submitted by consultancy firm Lichfields on behalf of the council say the project is intended to "support ABC's wider ambitions to revitalise the town centre, increase footfall, and strengthen the local creative economy."
Architects Haworth Tompkins say the new auditorium could accommodate up to 152 seated or 220 standing visitors, depending on how the stalls and balcony are configured.
The first-floor former ballroom, facing Lower High Street, is also due to be restored, with capacity for around 185 people for activities such as dance classes, yoga and Pilates.
The application also covers external works, including new windows and doors, as well as the refurbishment of the building's frontage and roof.
Council papers reference reinstating the original canopy proportions from the building's 1936 construction, when the venue could seat 1,570 people.
Community Backing And What's Next
According to the council's own project page, Ashford Borough Council says the redevelopment supports its Borough Plan 2024-28 and responds to "the community's strong call for more arts, cultural and performance space in the town centre."
Residents have campaigned for years for a theatre at the landmark site, with thousands backing proposals to convert the building before the current scheme was agreed.
Bingo halls across the UK have closed in large numbers over the past decade as operators consolidate and players increasingly move to online bingo sites, leaving councils and developers to repurpose former venues for leisure, retail or cultural use.
The Ashford building's conversion follows a similar pattern seen in other UK towns, where former bingo halls and cinemas have been converted into theatres, gyms or community venues once their original operators moved on.
An earlier, more ambitious proposal for the site, put forward by multi-millionaire Paul Gregg in 2023, would have flattened the rear of the building as part of a concert hall project on the neighbouring Vicarage Lane car park.
That plan was dropped after English National Opera, which Gregg had hoped to attract to the town, announced it would not take up residency.
Council bosses have not yet found an operator to run the new theatre and say they are searching for a "long-term partner that can support Ashford's growing cultural scene."
Subject to planning consent, the next phase of the project will involve detailed technical design work ahead of appointing a contractor and venue operator, which the council has previously indicated it hopes to secure in early 2027.
