Plans have been lodged to add a 409-seat Imax auditorium to an Aberdeen cinema.

Cineworld has unveiled proposals for an extension at its Queen’s Links Leisure Park site which would also include a coffee shop.

Imax screens are far bigger than standard ones and if the development goes ahead it would be the city’s first.

The format is used for blockbuster movies like Avengers: Endgame, Joker and the yet-to-be -released Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

It would mean Cineworld would be able to offer film fans 10 standard screens as well as the Imax facility, with a total capacity of almost 2,500 seats.

The 409-seat Imax screen would be housed in a two-storey extension which would also include the projection suite and a Starbucks coffee shop.

Almost 90 parking spaces would be lost as a result of the development at the complex.

A document submitted with the planning application said it was the best way for the extension to fit in.

The report said: “The cinema extension is located to the south and west of the cinema building within the existing car park.

“Eighty-six parking spaces are lost for the cinema extension, while 25 spaces are provided by reconfiguring the adjacent car parking areas.

“It is concluded that the proposed extension of the Cineworld cinema complex can be accommodated by reducing the existing car park capacity.”

IMAX cinemas are designed to provide a more immersive experience, with high-definition films shown on ultra-large screens with specially designed seating that enhances surround sound, making cinema-goers feel part of the action.

As well as the cinema at Queen’s Links, Cineworld also operates at Union Square.

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Its premises there offers film fans a 4DX screen which aims to enhance the screenings so, for example, an explosion would make the cinema seat vibrate or the smell of coffee could be pumped into the auditorium during scenes set in a cafe.

Jonathan Smith, chairman of the Castlehill and Pittodrie Community Council, said: “It is great to see a local business do well, and with cinemas struggling the last few years, it is very much welcomed that Cineworld plan to expand. However, we will look at the plans more closely to make sure that it will not have a negative effect on parking in the local area.

“We are going to have to know more about the plan before we say anything more.”

The planning documents state the extension “will not result in parking capacity issues”.

The proposals for the expansion at Cineworld come just days after a developer revealed proposals to open a five-screen cinema in Peterhead.

The Arc Cinema will open its doors at the former Gala Bingo site on the town’s Marischal Street in December.

The Irish cinema operator is investing £2 million in converting the building and the scheme secured £200,000 in funding from Aberdeenshire Council’s property investment fund.