PLANS for a new multiplex at Poole’s Dolphin Shopping Centre have been submitted to the council.

The scheme, which would see a nine-screen cinema and restaurant complex built across Falkland Square and Kingland Crescent, was announced in September.

Further details of the proposed development have now been published, with designs drawn up by architects for shopping centre owners Legal & General.

“The proposal seeks to redevelop a 1960s building with no architectural merit and seeks to deliver a new building of high-quality design, improving views from the conservation area,” said a spokesperson for architecture firm tp bennett.

The proposed complex would see the former Argos store and adjoining units demolished and re-developed. Empire Cinemas have signed a 25-year lease for the new cinema, which would feature a rooftop screen and bar with capacity for 60 people.

Developers have confirmed that headphones would be used in the screening of rooftop films.

On the ground floor would be four restaurant units. The scheme would also include the refurbishment of existing shops which face onto Falkland Square and Kingland Crescent.

The proposed design concept for the building takes inspiration from Poole’s maritime setting with “sweeping forms and a simple palette of materials to make a bold and exciting visual statement”.

It is anticipated the new build would become a “gateway” or “beacon” into the Dolphin Centre.

As reported in the Daily Echo in June, developers have launched an 18-month improvement programme of the shopping centre, which will be completed at the end of next year.

The multi-million pound overhaul will unlock a £26 million programme of investment.

The tp bennett spokesperson said: “The development detailed in this application represents a significant part of the regeneration currently on-going within the Dolphin Centre and aims to provide an exciting new destination within the heart of Poole’s town centre.

“It is envisaged that the building and its relationship to its surroundings will breathe life into an area that has been underutilised for a number of years, and will transform its appearance and give a greater purpose to the public spaces that wrap around the site.

“It is hoped that a vibrant mix of retail and restaurant tenants, along with a state of the art cinema operator, will strengthen the town’s leisure offer, and boost its evening economy.”

If the plans are given the go-ahead, the multiplex could open at the end of 2018 with the creation of 40 full-time jobs.