Developers who have bought the old cinema site in Tunbridge Wells intend holding public consultations before finalising plans for the 1.3 acre plot.
It has been bought by Altitude UK, a privately owned real estate company based in Cheltenham.
The site has been vacant for more than 15 years and has become a major eyesore despite a number of other developers expressing an interest.
“We want to find out what local people would like to see on the site so will be holding various public consultations,” Altitude Director Stephen Tillman told the Times.
He said they would be guided by existing outline plans for the site that show mixed retail units of shops and restaurants.
He did not rule out the idea of a cinema although stressed it would have to be “a small one.”
The company has been working on the project and with the borough council for the last three months.
“We signed the deal and bought the site on Monday” said Mr Tillman.
He told the Times that the planning process would probably take twelve months and the actual construction work another 24 months.
They were fully aware of the issues surrounding the railway tunnel that runs under the plot.
And how much did they pay for the land?
“That’s commercially sensitive.”
