Plans have been approved for Didcot's new £6.4m arts centre.

The building, which will include a five-screen cinema, will form the cultural hub of Didcot's town centre redevelopment and is set to open in early 2007.

But the multi-million pound scheme has come under fire from some councillors who claim it is a watered down version of the original idea.

The building will include an auditorium for drama, music and dance, with seating for almost 300 people.

It has been funded by South Oxfordshire District Council, which will also pay £200,000 a year towards its running costs.

Additional facilities will include dressing rooms, a green room, scenery and technical stores, four multi-purpose arts education spaces, an exhibition space, cafe/bar and box office.

Planning officers recommended permission be granted for the building when it went before the district council's planning committee last week.

Nigel Moor, the council's cabinet member responsible for the project, said: "The innovative design of this landmark public building meets the needs of the great majority of its potential users, and will provide high standards of materials and finishes."

But earlier this year Didcot county councillor, Terry Joslin, who worked on the original design, said the new scheme "would be no better than a school hall".