Bosses behind a new concert venue planned for Kent say the development is “not dead yet” – despite being snubbed by English National Opera (ENO).

Ambitious plans to transform Ashford’s Vicarage Lane car park and former Mecca Bingo hall into a 1,600-seater facility have been drawn up by multi-millionaire Paul Gregg.

He had hoped to attract the ENO to the town as the company has been told by Arts Council England to relocate from London or lose its public funding.

But now the opera company has announced the five new locations it is considering moving to – and Ashford is not one of them.

It is instead looking at Birmingham, Bristol, Greater Manchester, Liverpool and Nottingham.

Mr Gregg says ENO’s announcement is “disappointing” but he still hopes to submit a planning application to Ashford Borough Council (ABC) within two months.

“Nothing is dead yet,” he said.

“We just have to wait and see as we are keen to get the planning done.

“It doesn’t change anything – everything will stay as it is.

“I think ENO would have been ideally placed in Kent because the north is too far away.”

The 82-year-old - a former director of Everton Football Club - believes his ‘Ashford LIVE’ venue will transform the town’s nightlife.

As part of the scheme, the rear of the former Mecca Bingo - originally an Odeon cinema - would be flattened, but the ornate former entrance facing the Lower High Street would be retained.

Mr Gregg says he would “restore the frontage to its former glory”, creating a walk-through from the high street to his venue, which would be built on the 185-space car park.

If built, the planned structure would have a seated capacity of 1,600, but its raked seating could be removed to create a flat-floor venue with space for 3,000, allowing for concerts, conferences and exhibitions.

Mr Gregg says he is hoping to gain investment from both ABC and Kent County Council as the project would cost “in the region of £9 million”.

For more than a year, site owner ABC has been looking for an operator to take on the hall and “put their own unique stamp” on the building.

The authority had previously wanted to build a public square and 230 homes on the car park, but dropped that part of the scheme last February.

Mr Gregg, who had met the chief executive of ENO to discuss the ambitious plan, hopes to attract West End shows and says his project “would make the town centre a true destination”.

He claims the tent-like structure, the design of which has previously won a 'best development' award in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, would be "very easy to build".

Earlier this year, Mr Gregg told KentOnline: "The venue would have the ability to stage any major West End show – it would be a multi-purpose asset for the town.

"It could totally regenerate the town centre and give it a night economy that it doesn't have at the moment.

“Our ambition is to make the town centre a more exciting destination, and put a thousand people a night into the town for entertainment who aren't going there now."