Plans submitted to convert former theatre in Boston into 18 one-bedroom flats

The application has been made to Boston Borough Council in relation to the remains of the Scala Theatre, off Mitre Lane, in the same building that one housed Poundstretcher.

It asks for permission to change the use of the space from commercial premises to dwelling houses, namely 18 one-bedroom flats spread over three floors – a lower ground floor, an upper ground floor and a first floor.

The proposal site does not extend to the Market Place and instead focuses on the rear of the building.

A planning statement submitted to the council as part of the application notes that primary pedestrian access would be taken from the rear of the property from Mitre Lane.

The Scala Theatre (or Picturehouse and Café) was built in 1913 and opened on March 17 the following year. It ran public screenings until early on in the Second World War. After closing on June 29, 1940, it was taken over by the Armed Forces.

After the war, it would go on to be converted into a furniture storeroom. In more recent years, it has been a Poundstretcher, which used the former café for storage.

The discount retailer moved to the old Woolworths and QD store, in Strait Bargate, in 2017.