A threatened Eastbourne theatre has been made a listed building following a public outcry.

The status means strict guidelines will limit internal alterations at The Royal Hippodrome Theatre in Eastbourne and prevent it from being demolished.

Theatre manager John Pleydell said: "I am absolutely over the moon with the news. I opened the letter this morning and was so thrilled that I didn't read to the bottom of it."

The granting of immediate Grade II listed status yesterday came a month after the Victorian venue's future was placed in doubt following a report by Eastbourne Borough Council.

It concluded it was not cost effective for the authority to keep open the attraction, which has played host to stars including the late pianist Russ Conway and Max Bygraves.

The report, which looked at all four council-owned theatres in Eastbourne, said it had too many seats for the town's size.

The council hopes to consolidate its theatre and conference facilities in a cultural quarter in the Devonshire Park area.

As the Royal Hippodrome, which was built in 1883 and is the oldest theatre in Eastbourne, lies in the town centre it was not deemed to fit in with the plans.

The report's conclusion provoked huge opposition, resulting in a petition with more than 3,000 signatures including those of Max Bygraves, Danny La Rue and Rick Wakeman.

Mr Pleydell said: "People come to Eastbourne because of the Victorian genteelness of the town.

"To demolish the Victorian features that give it that charm and replace them with blocks of faceless flats is to damage the intrinsic attraction of the town."

Pamela Kuhn, chairman of the 170-strong Royal Hippodrome Friends, said: "It's great news. Now it's going to be very hard to change."

However, some campaigners erred on the side of caution.

The council's Cabinet meets on Wednesday to consider the review report and the comments of the scrutiny committee.

Mr Pleydell said: "Although we are not yet out of the woods, this acts as an extra piece of red tape."

Eastbourne Lib Dem parliamentary hopeful Chris Berry said: "It's great news but the campaign to save the theatre is not over yet.

"We will be pressing the council now to drop the report on Wednesday and leave the way open for someone who wants to buy the theatre to do so."