A five-screen cinema opening as part of the £115 million Kingsmead regeneration will be run by Curzon, it has been revealed.

In fresh images from developer Linkcity, the chain’s branding can be seen for the first time in an artist’s impression of the Canterbury Riverside project.

The huge leisure-led development, set to be located at the disused Serco depot and former coach park, will include the cinema, restaurants, homes, student accommodation, public square and a boat house with pontoon.

Plans were granted approval on May 1 by the city council’s planning committee, but until now developers and the local authority, which owns part of the site, have remained tight-lipped about any potential operators.

Curzon is the first to be named and will be the anchor tenant of the development, expected to draw in other businesses to take up units which will wrap around the public square.

The cinema operator already runs a three-screen theatre in Westgate Hall Road in Canterbury, which opened in 2014, and spokesman for the chain, Hannah Farr, insists this will remain open.

She would not give any further details about the Riverside plan, stating it was too early in the process.

But Clare Millett, chief executive of the Westgate Community Trust, the landlord of the existing Curzon building, says the investment in the city by the cinema firm can only be a good thing.

“Curzon are going from strength to strength here and they are a part of our community,” she said.

“We’ve got a great relationship with them and the manager has told us about their strategy.

“We’re pleased because it means there is an opportunity there to continue to make a difference. They have a really good ethos - they do dementia-friendly screening, they work with the Gulbenkian, they make sure they connect rather than compete.

“We’ve got a good collaborative approach with them.”

Mrs Millett says footfall at the cinema has exceeded initial projections and believes this would not be impacted by the five-screen venue.

“I think Curzon have a very committed customer base,” she said.

“If you look at the way they operate they are very much a community cinema.”

Cllr Robert Thomas, vice-chairman of the regeneration and property committee, says it is positive news Curzon has agreed to expand its operations in Canterbury.

“The current cinema in the Westgate Hall has been a brilliant addition to the city and talked about fondly by cinema-goers,” he said.

“To have this new facility in the heart of the regeneration scheme will bring to fruition what residents have been asking the council to bring to this area.

“Personally, I cannot wait to go and watch a film there.”

The Riverside scheme for the run-down land at Kingsmead was approved by nine votes to two by the council’s planning committee in May.

It was originally anticipated to be leisure-focused but student flats and residential homes also make up much of the project.

There will be student accommodation with almost 500 bedrooms, as well as 173 private flats and 16 four-bedroom family homes.

There will also be eight cafe/restaurant bars, four small shops and 221 parking spaces, with a further 189 spaces for the residential properties.

The restaurants and bars will be set around a new public square, with external seating and areas to host pop-up events.

Dozens of objections were submitted to the council about the development, including about the scale of the five -storey buildings and their impact on historic views and the ability of surrounding roads to cope with the extra traffic, but it was given the green light.

No timescale for the development has been given.