Ambitious plans for a replacement Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury should be decided tonight.

Councillors are being recommended to agree the multi-million pound development, which will see most of the present theatre demolished and replaced by a 1,200-seat auditorium and a second performance space for about 150.

The contemporary design will also feature a remodelled flytower, three bars, with the ground-floor one leading onto a riverside terrace, and a modern entrance.

There are no plans at the moment to floodlight the theatre.

Some organisations and residents have objected to the plans, fearing an increase in noise, anti-social behaviour and light pollution.