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'Full-circle' theatre plan for seaside bingo hall

Hannah Sackville-Bryantin Scarborough
BBC The former Mecca Bingo site boarded up. A man wearing glasses and a blue shirt stands smiling in front.BBC
Capitol Theatre Trust director George Wakely said an events space could fill a gap in Scarborough's cultural offer

A former bingo hall in Scarborough could become a major new theatre and community venue after plans were unveiled.

The town's Capitol Theatre Trust wants to restore the former Mecca Bingo building on Albemarle Crescent, which first opened as the Capitol Cine Theatre in 1929.

The organisation said the £10m project could attract national touring productions that currently bypass the town.

A consultation on the plans will begin on 19 September, with visitors able to tour parts of the building previously closed to the public including former projection rooms and dressing rooms.

George Wakely, one of the directors of the Capitol Theatre Trust, said the venue could provide something currently missing from the town's cultural offer.

He said: "At the moment a lot of tours can't go to York because the stages are too small and the nearest are Hull, Sheffield and Newcastle, which are quite far away for a lot of our residents."

Josephine Barkshire Artist's impression showing inside the future theatre, with blue seats and carpet and gold details throughout.Josephine Barkshire
The Capitol Theatre Trust hopes to reopen part of the building in 2029, marking 100 years since its founding

Using figures from national body the Theatres Trust, the organisation estimates the project could contribute about £6m each year to the local economy once fully operational.

Listen: Local residents have mixed views on theatre plans

Wakely said the trust wanted to gather views from residents and businesses while sharing its vision for the site.

"We hope that this will bring footfall not just to this area but the rest of the town and will feed through into more business for local businesses," he said.

"We're working with lots of really great organisations, including North Yorkshire Council and York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, who have been fantastic in engaging and helping us so far to get to the stage where we currently are and they've been really supportive of the project."

The trust hopes to reopen part of the building in 2029, marking 100 years since it was founded, although the theatre may not be fully operational until about 2035.

Wakely said reopening the venue would be a "full-circle moment" for the building.

"I'm looking forward to seeing the curtains on stage open for the first time," he said.

"For me, that will be a real turning point to see it finally back to its original use."

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