TOWN councillors will look at how to breathe new life into the old Rex cinema.

More than 2,000 people have joined calls for the historic site to be brought back into use in the Rex Revival Group on Facebook.

Now, Wilmslow Town Council has agreed to consider how that could take shape as a cinema, arts and community centre.

At a meeting on Monday, Cllr Angela McPake said: "One of the major things coming out of the neighbourhood plan was the fact there isn't actually a 'centre' in the town anymore.

"And if you were going to have a focal point, then that should be at the junction of Alderley Road and Water Lane – where the Rex is."

Calls emerged to revive the Rex last November after Multiyork, the furniture store now based at the site, went into administration.

The town council expressed an interest in the site before Christmas, only to be told by the landlord that Multiyork's administrators had found a retailer to take on the remainder of the lease.

But the deal fell through earlier this month, and the landlord is now happy to consider the site becoming a community venue.

"At this stage we have no idea how big a role we would need to take to make this a possibility," Cllr McPake added.

"We need to work with anyone who is interested to see whether we can bring this to fruition.

"We clearly need to cost any options and come back to the council with that information to decide if we can do something and whether there is an appetite to do that."

The Rex cinema was in use from 1936 to 1995 – and it is still intact.

Town councillors now want to talk to agents, possible commercial partners, community groups and funding professionals in order to see how feasible the scheme is.

Cllr Frank McCarthy said: "I had mixed views on this to start with because of the money.

"However last week the town council was invited to look around the area and I was quite amazed to walk into the old Rex cinema, with 310 seats still intact.

"I sat down on the back row and it all came back to me."

Cllr Martin Watkins, chairman of Wilmslow Town Council, added: "I think we will be criticised if we don't go along with this."