A THEATRE it was and a theatre it will be...

That's the pledge from the Friends of the Winter Gardens in Morecambe in the face of plans to turn the historic 'Victoria Pavilion' building into a shopping complex.

The Friends have been striving for years to raise the £250,000 needed to buy the theatre and get a business plan produced.

But a local builder says they are just dreaming.

Wallowing in the past will not make the Winter Gardens into a success, says Roy Jackson of Norman Jackson Construction.

He has drawn up plans for an antiques emporium, caf and small theatre at the historic Morecambe landmark. But his £3 million action plan has upset the Friends of the Winter Gardens, who say they 'cannot support' the blueprint.

Mr Jackson, who has contacted Barnfield Construction - owners of the listed theatre - about his scheme, says: "It is fine if the Friends buy the theatre but that is only the beginning because it is going to cost a lot of money - perhaps £10 million - to put it on it's feet. These people are not builders and if something is not done soon then it will end up like the Midland."

He says that the building may have been a huge success as a variety theatre in the 1900s, but trying to recreate it is nostalgic rather than practical.

"They are just dreaming. It will cost an enormous amount to get it up and running but then you have got to fill it and get people in to watch performances. Times have changed and we had envisioned making the space usable for theatre, bands and exhibitions."

He says he has been trying to get another project together for some time and believes the transformation of the theatre, which closed its doors in 1977, will work.

The blueprint sees an auditorium retained with seating in the circle on the first floor which could be used to watch theatre.

Around the edge would be antique stalls, which Mr Jackson claims would be 'good quality, and a terrace caf over looking the bay.

He says: "We thought that an antiques emporium would blend well with the Victorian aspect of the theatre but we got a very negative response off the Friends of the Winter Gardens."

The construction company is now waiting to see what happens before making a decision.

Cllr Evelyn Archer, chair of the Friends of the Winter Gardens, says the group will be pushing to get its own business plan completed and applying for grants to buy the theatre.

She told the Citizen: "I only found out last Monday that a builder was being shown around the theatre. That was the first time we knew Barnfield had been approached by someone interested in the building. We were totally shocked."

Cllr Archer adds: "Norman Jackson want to create 30 antique shops in the building and from what I saw of the plans there would be little of the theatre left for us to do anything with. We cannot support the plans - it would be wrong.

"It is now more important than ever for us to buy this building to safeguard its future as a theatre. It is achievable and we will make it work."