Hope Church has bought the former Odeon Cinema in Ipswich which has been left empty for the past 13 years.

The cinema, which was build in the early 1990s, will become the new place of worship for the church, which is currently based in Fore Hamlet but has outgrown its home.

Hope Church plans to transform the building into a place to host its growing congregation with a large auditorium plus extra rooms for children and workshops.

The church plans to create a community facility to serve the town throughout the week.

The sale has been completed by law firm Birketts on behalf of the church.

Ian Little, from Hope Church, said: “Hope Church has been in Ipswich for over 25 years and we are aiming to make a full move from the Orwell Centre to the former Odeon cinema in September 2019.

“We’ve a vision to refurbish this building to create a superb centre for the church and a facility that will be a blessing to the town of Ipswich.”

Keith Andrews, senior associate at Birketts’ commercial property team, said: “This well-known building within Ipswich has been derelict for a number of years.

“I am delighted that we were able to support Hope Church in the first step of their ambitious vision.”