Culture Quarter, a group of local residents with business knowledge, has expressed an interest in taking on both Whitley Bay Playhouse and the Dome in a joint venture.

But although North Tyneside Council has chosen SMG Europe, owners of Newcastle's Metro Arena, as the preferred developer for the Playhouse, Culture Quarter are still keen to take on both buildings.

And representatives were on hand to outline their vision to around 200 residents at a public meeting on Monday.

Culture Quarter want to make the Playhouse a community and education facility, bringing all the local performance groups to work alongside professional acts, with both sharing the stage in a planned calendar.

But their more ambitious plans centre around the Dome, which they would make the national headquarters for Mind Sports UK, attracting all the best players in games such as chess, backgammon, bridge, scrabble, draughts and more.

As well as being a centre for board and card games, the Dome would also be used for smaller theatrical productions, have a cafe and exhibition space.

Gerry Beldon said holding one week-long international mind sport event a month could attract more than 1,000 visitors, boosting the local economy, while the rest of the month would allow locals the chance to play in a social atmosphere.

He said that Mind Sports UK currently had more than four million registered players but it was still looking for a base, with Whitley Bay and the Spanish City Dome being the perfect opportunity to get back on the international map.

"There isn't a single mind centre in Europe so this would be a first for Whitley Bay," said Mr Beldon.

"Our business plan works if we can get one international or national event a month."

He added that research in Bradford showed that children who played mind sports increased their SAT scores by 40 per cent, while playing the games can add 14 years to a person's lifespan.

Outlining the vision for the Playhouse, Toby Bridges said they wanted to make it a professional, community, educational, artistic and social theatre for everyone to enjoy.

He said: "I really believe we can generate something good in our town, our borough, by taking this forward."

It is hoped that by bringing professional shows to Whitley Bay, that local amateur dramatic groups can learn new techniques for their own productions, while it can also link with the national curriculum in schools as well as students doing drama at local universities.

Culture Quarter are confident of making the two initiatives a success, with projected figures showing it could have a turnover of £1.2m in the first year, rising to £2.8m in year five, creating 50 permanent jobs in the process.

Residents warmly welcomed the proposals, with some having major reservations about SMG's plans for the Playhouse.

Professional actress and former Byker Grove star Annie Orwin said: "We should be encouraging the youth to go into these places.