Hinckley: Flats plan for derelict Art Deco cinema

The former Danilo cinema was last opened as a sport bar in the 90s

A historic Art Deco cinema that has stood empty for almost 20 years could be turned into flats.

The crumbling former Cannon cinema, in Trinity Lane, Hinckley, Leicestershire, was opened in the 1930s.

Developer Wigston Estates has applied to Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council to convert the building into 36 flats by increasing the height at the front and adding windows.

There would be 17 car parking spaces and an open-air atrium in the building.

Originally known as the Danilo, the building has changed hands several times over the years, finally becoming a sports bar in the late 1990s, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

With 1,250 seats, it stood on the site of a former hosiery factory, with Bosworth MP of the time, Sir William Edge, and British-Australian film star Judy Kelly attending the opening ceremony in 1937.

The property was listed for sale in 2022 for £350,000.

Planning documents show Wigston Estates has applied for permission to create 36 one-bedroom flats.

Papers show the building's roof was removed for health and safety reasons after it partially collapsed.

The developer said there had been interest in bulldozing the building to redevelop the site, but added the scheme would instead "retain much of the bulk" of the cinema as well as its decorative features.