Tenant shows interest in Grantham Picture House Unit 2

A potential tenant has been found for Unit 2 of Grantham's Picture House, a space that has remained vacant since its construction prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The news comes shortly after the official opening of South Kesteven District Council's new customer service centre in Unit 1 of the building on St Catherine's Road in October. The upper floor, excluding the cinema, is home to council offices.

During a finance and economic overview and scrutiny committee meeting on Tuesday (November 26), Councillor Richard Cleaver (Independent), cabinet member for property and public engagement, announced that a possible tenant has expressed interest in taking over the unit.

He stated: "We have a potential tenant that has come forward to take on a lease for Unit 2 of the Picture House, which we are aware has been empty since the day it was built. That will be discussed at cabinet next week."

Following the meeting, he explained that both ground-floor units have been subject to various plans that ultimately did not come to fruition, something he attributes to the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

"A lot of the plans changed and we had to adapt them because of what Covid did to us," he added.

Approval for the £900,000 relocation of the council's customer services hub was given in February 2023, with another public sector service sharing the costs of the move.

Coun Cleaver views the potential tenant coming forward as a "sign of Grantham's town centre economy picking up".

"There are fewer vacant shops in Grantham, and new shops are moving in. You could say this is part of it," he continued.

While he was unable to share details about the potential tenant or the type of organisation it could be, he assured: "I know it will be something that everyone will enjoy."

A spokesperson for South Kesteven District Council confirmed: “An enquiry has come forward from a prospective tenant to undertake a lease.

"Negotiations are ongoing, which means the commercially sensitive details are likely to be dealt with by the SKDC cabinet following the exclusion of the public.”

What do you think? What would you like to see in this vacant unit? Let us know in the comments below…