The former Ritz theatre/cinema in College Street, Rushden, which later became Flutters Bingo, was sold at auction on 29 October 2024 for £400,000. It is now back on the market with an asking price of nearly £800,000.
The owner said they had reached “a bit of a stalemate”, but that the building had “a lot of potential”.
When the property first came up for sale, several local community groups had tried to buy it with plans to renovate the building. They especially wanted to preserve the art deco frontage, which is a distinctive feature of Rushden’s town centre, and turn it back into a theatre.
However, they were put off by the cost. In particular, the building has a lot of asbestos in its structure, which would be expensive to remove.
The latest news on this is that the owner is asking for comments on whether the public would like to have this back as a Bingo Hall, as he has a bingo company interested in it.
