The once-popular Towngate Theatre was opened under a blaze of publicity in 1988, and was soon hosting shows performed by some of the country's best-known acts.

However, the Towngate was closed in 1998, and has been "in the dark" almost permanently ever since.

In recent years, it has been used for everything from amateur dramatics to business conferences to the counting of general election votes.

Now, the council's consultation draft Cultural Strategy for Basildon District admits a "fundamental problem with the original design and planning" of the Towngate has led to its demise.

The draft strategy, compiled by officers and being discussed by the newly-formed Leisure and Customer Services Scrutiny Committee tomorrow admits the theatre's main auditorium is too small - at 564 seats - to cater for the large-scale shows necessary to bring in enough revenue to make it profitable.Now, the strategy suggests something needs to be done.