The former cinema's strip-out finishes in September, when a planning application and public exhibition follow. The hunt for an operator has started.
The search has begun for an operator to run Ashford’s former Odeon cinema as a cultural and community venue, as the council’s project to revive the building moves into its next phase. Ashford Borough Council set out the programme on 31 July: early market engagement with potential operators starts in August, formal procurement follows in September, and the council expects to identify a preferred operator in early 2027.
Inside the building, strip-out and asbestos removal works have been progressing from the upper floors down to the ground floor and main auditorium, and are due to finish in September. The project now moves into the detailed design stage, known as RIBA Stage 3.
What the venue would look like
The latest designs from architects Haworth Tompkins include a revised entrance, an improved kitchen and bar, and a flexible meeting and gallery space. The main performance space would hold 176 people seated or 212 standing, and the upstairs ballroom around 185, with its barrel-vaulted ceiling reinstated. A feature in the flooring would retain the original Odeon sign.
Julian Russell of Blue Horizon, the company appointed to promote the venue to the industry and find an operator, called the Odeon “one of the town’s most iconic buildings” and said it “presents a rare opportunity to create a vibrant cultural destination”.
Councillor Noel Ovenden, Leader of Ashford Borough Council, said: “This is an exciting moment… we are building real momentum and moving forward with confidence.”
What it means for you
If you want a say: a public consultation and pre-planning exhibition are planned for September, alongside the planning application itself. The application will go through the council’s normal planning process; our Ashford planning news page explains how to comment on applications in the borough.
If you are wondering when it opens: no opening date has been announced. The next public milestones are the September planning application, a report to Cabinet and Full Council in October, and the naming of a preferred operator in early 2027. In the meantime our things to do in Ashford guide covers what is on around the borough now.
If you run events or hospitality: the operator search is live, with early market engagement underway from August through Blue Horizon, ahead of formal procurement from September.
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