The former Savoy Cinema in Spalding, which, with a 1,500-person seating capacity, was Lincolnshire’s largest cinema when it opened in 1937, is to go up for auction this month with a guide price of £250,000-£270,000.
Converted to a bingo hall after audiences declined in the 1970s, the imposing building was damaged extensively by a fire in 2021 and has since remained disused.
Now the 15,000 sq ft cinema, which stands on a 0.7 acre site, is being offered for sale by joint auctioneers SDL Property Auctions and Eddisons Peterborough.
The auctioneers believe the building would be suitable for redevelopment and South Holland District Council has confirmed it would support proposals for a mixed-use commercial and residential scheme on the site. The Westlode Street property is close to the town centre, within Spalding’s conservation area.
Andrew Parker, auctioneer and partner at SDL Property Auctions, said: “This was once a splendid building that was a real asset to the town of Spalding and it has been disused and unloved for over three years since the fire.
“It would be great to see an imaginative mixed-use scheme bring the site back to life, perhaps retaining the original 1930s art-deco façade. Needless to say, the council’s support for a redevelopment scheme makes this a fantastic investment opportunity.”
