PLANS have been submitted to demolish part of a cinema which was gutted by a fire last month.

Scott Cinemas has applied for listed building consent to demolish the auditorium block of the Regent Cinema in Lyme Regis.

The cinema was all but destroyed after an electrical fault in the roof space triggered the fire.

Scott Cinemas vowed they would rebuild the cinema and have started discussions about other venues showing films in the meantime.

The company has handed over the cinema site on Broad Street to demolition contractors.

A Scott Cinemas spokesman said: “By the end of next week, the auditorium block will have been removed.

“Further clearance of the site will take another three weeks, during which time the path to the side of the cinema and the forecourt will be out of bounds – this is for safety, and to ensure no one gets hurt while this work is ongoing.”

Scott Cinemas had initially hoped to open the foyer during the summer as a cafe – but the company confirmed this would not be possible due to construction access.

The company spokesman added: “Our architects continue to liaise with English Heritage, and work on designs for a rebuild.

“We hope to have some design ideas within the next three to four weeks. All planning applications will be displayed on poster frames in the cinema forecourt, which will be accessible once the demolition contractors have finished.

“We are actively talking to other parties in the town around being able to provide some film entertainment while the Regent is closed.”