Ambitious plans for a town to have its own cinema for the first time in 53 years have been abandoned - after no suitable location could be found.

Residents in Tenterden wanted people to be able to enjoy films locally rather than travelling to multiplexes like Cineworld in Ashford, which is a 30-minute drive away.

They set up Tenterden Cinema Ltd and, at first, hoped to redevelop the Pebbles building in the high street.

But the £2.6 million scheme was derailed amid spiralling costs and uncertainty generated by the pandemic.

After it became clear the listed building would not be viable as a site, attention turned to the Highbury Hall community centre.

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But trustees of the charity which runs it have rebuffed advances from the cinema group.

The failure to secure agreement on the Highbury Hall site - and the lack of any other alternative - has led to the decision to wind up the campaign.

In a statement, Tom Evans, chairman of Tenterden Cinema Ltd, said: “Unfortunately, changes to the scheme to meet Historic England’s requirements for the preservation of the listed building were impractical and unaffordable.

“So since early 2021 we have been looking for an alternative.

"The trustees of Highbury Hall have now rejected our ideas for a not-for-profit community interest company to redevelop the site with them to provide a cinema and new hall, and we have been unable to identify any other viable location.

“We have therefore decided to wind up Tenterden Cinema Ltd and advised Tenterden Town Council that it is time to dissolve the focus group.

“We remain convinced that the Tenterden needs a neighbourhood cinema and hope that, one day, a suitable venue and source of finance will be found.

"In the meantime, there is nothing more we can do.”

The last time Tenterden had a cinema was in 1969, when the Embassy cinema closed. That site is now occupied by M&Co.

Announcing the suspension of the effort to build the new cinema, Mr Evans said no one involved in the company had made any financial gain.

“We would like to thank everyone who has put so much time and effort into the project since the focus group was set up five years ago,” he said.

“We would particularly like to acknowledge the efforts and support of Sue Ferguson, both as a councillor and in her private capacity.

“We would also like to state publicly that none of the directors of Tenterden Cinema Ltd have profited from the company in any way, but have met the costs of creating, operating and closing the company from their own pockets.”