Work is set to start within weeks on the multi-million pound cinema planned at the heart of Didcot's town centre redevelopment.

Building contracts and a deal with cinema chain Cine UK have been signed and work is due to start on the Station Road site next month.

If everything goes to plan, the first films could be showing at the five-screen multiplex in 12 months' time.

The £4.5m project, part of South Oxfordshire District Council's town centre redevelopment plan, has suffered major setbacks in recent months and had been due to open this summer.

Contract talks and legal wranglings dragged on longer than expected, pushing the completion date back by a year.

But the council's strategic director David Hill said contracts and firm dates were now in place and the council was "desperately keen" to get the cinema open.

He added: "Building will start by May 15 at the latest. Britannia Construction will build the shell and then we hand it over to Cine UK for them to complete the fit-out to their specification.

"We expect it to be open in just less than a year."

SODC's cabinet member res- ponsible for the project, Nigel Moor, above, said: "This is great news for Didcot.

"Bringing a cinema to the town was top of everyone's wish list and therefore a key priority for the council.

"Securing one hasn't been easy but the hard work has finally paid off and we can now look forward to building work starting next month and the cinema opening its doors in a year's time."

At present residents have to travel to Oxford, Henley or the Corn Exchange in Wallingford to catch the latest releases.

But the new cinema, along with the planned £6.5m arts centre, will complete the cultural heart of the town's redevel- opment.

Both buildings will face on to a new town square at the top of Orchard Street.

The arts centre has also been dogged by setbacks, with the district council announcing last month that negotiations with preferred construction company Leadbitter had collapsed meaning the lengthy tender process will have to start again.