Former nightclub might become boutique cinema

A former nightclub in All Saints Passage, Huntingdon, might become a boutique cinema

A building that has stood empty for more than a decade might become the location for a boutique-style cinema.

Members of a business partnership have been discussing the possibility of renovating a former nightclub in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire.

Paul Sweeney, the BID Huntingdon town manager, said discussions with Huntingdonshire District Council were at an early stage.

The nightclub, which was called Level 2, shut down in 2012 - before that the building in All Saints Passage had been a cinema.

A former nightclub in Huntingdon might become a boutique cinema

Mr Sweeney told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that he had spent around 20 years working in the cinema industry and said he understood the impact cinemas could have on towns.

“We have got a lack of leisure options in the town and the night-time economy suffers as a result I feel," he said.

“A lot of the things in the centre of the town are pubs and you have a few restaurants and bars.

“We need something for them to latch on to."

'Stumbling block'

Mr Sweeney suggested that a boutique cinema would offer a different experience.

He said the funding was probably the “main stumbling block”.

Huntingdonshire District Council owns the building.

The council said members and Huntingdon BID did not underestimate the level of difficulty, but said the project could significantly contribute to supporting the evening economy and cultural activities in Huntingdon.