This spooky dancer will be one of the performers at a free winter festival held to mark a new Brighton community space.

A 14m elm tree has been planted outside the neglected Circus Street warehouse to herald the blossoming of the venue and, it is hoped, its wholesale revamp.

As it waits for a decision on plans for its £100 million redevelopment of the Circus Street area of Brighton, developers have opened up the former municipal market for wider use.

The first event will be Circus Street Winterland, a free festival for people in Brighton and Hove, on December 14, at 2pm to 6pm Martyn Evans, Creative Director at Cathedral Group, said: “The old warehouse has been closed off to the public for a very long time and we want to enliven it again and get people used to being in and using this part of the city – and also to make the most of this extraordinary old warehouse building while it’s still here.”

The University of Brighton has already said it wants to use it for a fashion show, photographic exhibition and for a film project next year Developers Cathedral Group believes the proposal will bring more than £200 million into the city over the next ten years and create more than 600 jobs, 142 family homes, student halls of residence, shops and cafes.

It is now up to Brighton and Hove City Council’s planning committee to decide if it gets the go ahead, with work potentially starting in the summer.