CINEMA fans can soon look forward to the return of the silver screen to Redditch town centre.

Work on the new seven-screen multiplex in the Kingfisher Centre is expected to start in the next couple of weeks.

And centre manager Ian McLelland said the plan was to open the Apollo Cinema as soon as possible, filling the gap in the town's leisure market.

The news will bring some relief to residents disappointed by the Government's rejection of Redditch Council's Abbey Stadium development. Along with improved sports and leisure facilities, the complex was expected to have a multiscreen cinema of its own.

The Kingfisher development will include a £4.5 million refurbishment of the western end of the centre, near Wilkinsons and TJ Hughes, to facilitate the 25,000 sq ft complex.

It will have its own access from the town centre as well as two of the adjacent car parks and the bus station. There will also be a new escalator.

And the finished cinema, expected to open in November, will boast stadium-style seating, spacious lobby and fast track ticketing service.