The council is hunting a contractor to deliver pre-construction services and a 77-week main works package that will form the centrepiece of its town-centre masterplan.

The project replaces the old Poundstretcher unit on the High Street, now being demolished to create a clear site for the venue, which will become the new home for The Lights.

Five contractors are expected to be invited to submit full tenders with an award due around May next year.

Designed by theatre specialist Burrell Foley Fischer, the three-storey venue will house a 400-seat auditorium, a second flexible performance space, dance studios, meeting rooms and café/bar areas. Careful acoustic separation will allow the theatre to host multiple events at once, pushing total occupancy close to 1,000.

The stone-arched façade is inspired by St Mary’s Church and the Guildhall, forming a new public square linking the High Street to Town Mills Riverside Park.

The £25m programme — including £600k of professional services and £24.4m of construction — is backed by £18.3m of government funding.

Leader Phil North said the new theatre would act as a catalyst for economic growth and help draw more people into the town centre day and night.