SLOWLY but surely, a former shoe warehouse in Green Street is being transformed into Kidderminster's first cinema in 23 years, edging towards the projected opening on Good Friday - March 25.

Brickwork at the front of the listed building, opposite the B and Q superstore, has yet to be knocked down to create the main entrance to The Warehouse Cinema but upstairs, where reels of film will finally roll, is beginning to take shape.

An amenity area will provide lift access, toilets and a bar.

Developer, Simon Swaffield, 38, a Kidderminster-based solicitor, said the design will be "contemporary" and "warm" and games consoles, classic movie posters, sofas and newspapers are among the ideas to complement the movie-going experience.

To one side is the big one - a 107-seater cinema which will retain the building's existing roof beams to "build on the notion of a warehouse cinema".

Next door is the smallest screen, for 28 people, which Mr Swaffield said would be ideal for hiring out for corporate events and for students who wanted to catch big screen adaptations of their set examination texts.

The other two screens are 100 and 65-seaters and they will also show the latest Hollywood releases.

This year's new Harry Potter and Star Wars movies are guaranteed on the screening list and there may also be seasons of past classics such as Ealing comedies and Bollywood films.

About a quarter of the £400,000 price tag has been spent on getting the best equipment.

Mr Swaffield said: "The projection and sound has to be as good quality as the multiplexes. You won't come back if you can't hear it or it doesn't look as good."

He said the only compromise was on screen size when compared to the massive multiplex screens which are watched by hundreds.

The cheaper price of tickets - which are expected to cost between £3 and £4 - and the fact film-goers will not have to travel to Merry Hill or Worcester to watch a movie were being touted as a major benefit for the new cinema.

Mr Swaffield said: "It is a bit scary but it's exciting, as it has gone from an idea to something that is actually happening."