A LANDMARK theatre has closed its doors for the final time after a showing of the latest installment in the Hobbit trilogy.

The Futurist Theatre in Foreshore Road, Scarborough ended its 92-year history this weekend after attempts by the borough council to secure an alternative operator failed.

But there is still a three month window for operators to come forward with a suitable proposal to keep the theatre, which played host to the Beatles in 1963, running.

The date of the termination of the operator’s lease was agreed on December 13 by Tom Fox, leader of Scarborough Borough Council, after a proposal by the most recent operator to run the theatre during 2014 on a management fee basis was refused because Coun Fox was not willing to place such a high level of financial risk on the council.

The initial boarding up of the theatre has started but a three months window still exists for anyone to come forward with an alternative proposal to operate the theatre.

Nick Edwards, the council's director of business support said: “We are fully aware of the dominant location the Futurist theatre occupies on Scarborough seafront, and the importance of this area to our visitor economy.

“We are therefore conscious that whatever boarding up methods we choose, they have to be done tastefully and sensitively.

“Initially however, we need to balance that against what could possibly be a relative short term period of closure should an alternative operator come forward within the next three months.

“We are looking at temporary hoardings in the short term, with a view to more permanent ones later in the year should no other operators come forward.

“While our plans for the longer term hoardings have not being finalised, we will be considering methods that would allow us to display tasteful images or artwork in keeping with the area that would help to minimise the impact of the closed theatre on surrounding businesses.”