PLANS for a new theatre in Marlborough are moving forward apace. A site in the water meadows adjacent to the George Lane car park has been earmarked for the theatre that has already been named, the Riverbank.

Planning permission has been granted and the Kennet Valley Arts Trust set up to chase the dream is busy fund raising.

The Riverbank will be a theatre/cinema and much more besides.

The design includes conference and exhibition facilities. It has been designed as a cultural and social hum for Marlborough and the villages around.

Marlborough has been without a picture house since the early 1970s when The Cinema closed and was incorporated into the Waitrose Supermarket. The stone arches in front of the supermarket are where the cinema goers used to queue waiting for the doors to open.

The Riverbank will be a multi-functional venue with a main auditorium seating as many as 300.

There are plans for live theatre and music as well as cinema.

The Riverbank Film Club has been bringing cinema to the town for the last few years and it is hoped it will not be too long before films will be shown in the Riverbank.

The Friends of the Riverbank have been set up to help raise funds.

For more information visit the website www.riverbank.org.uk or call (01672) 516460.