A CHIEF executive could soon be appointed at Clevedon’s Curzon cinema as its board starts to plan future restoration work.

The Old Church Road facility enjoyed an extremely successful centenary year in 2012, with ticket sales reaching record levels and a variety of special events put on to mark the occasion.

However, there still remains much to do to restore the Grade II-listed building, which continues to suffer from a leaking roof, to its former glory.

A Heritage Lottery Fund grant in 2010 enabled the first stage of restoration to take place and now plans are being put together for the next.

Board chairman Hilary Neal said: “With our 100th birthday celebrations behind us, the board has been thinking about how the Curzon can move on to the next stage of development, restoration and the expansion of our education and learning programme.

“The work we have done so far means we have been able to share the history of this amazing building with our visitors, but they consistently ask us when we will be able to reopen the balcony and restore the auditorium to its full glory.

“Though the cinema business makes a small surplus each year, it is not enough to complete the necessary roof repairs that would make further restoration possible – that can only be done with major fundraising.”

A new chief executive will be appointed to lead the organisation with this fundraising and delivering the development project.

As a result, current Curzon director Gareth Negus, who has been in his job since 2007, will leave the cinema at the end of this month but will remain its programmer.