The potential of opening a new boutique style cinema in a former "problem" nightclub in Huntingdon is being considered.

Early discussions are taking place between Huntingdon BID and Huntingdonshire District Council about renovating and reopening the former nightclub and cinema in All Saints Passage.

The building had been home to the Level 2 nightclub, which was shut down in 2012 after problems with fighting and violence and has sat empty ever since.

Before it became a nightclub it had been a cinema, which closed in the early 2000s.

Those involved in the idea of reopening the cinema in the town centre said it could be a good way to bring the building back into use and support the town, but added that they do not want to get people’s hopes up at this early stage.

Paul Sweeney, from Huntingdon BID, said he had spent around 20 years working in the cinema industry before joining the BID and said he understood the impact cinemas could have on towns and the visitor economy.

He said: “We have got a lack of leisure options in the town and the night time economy suffers as a result I feel.

“A lot of the things in the centre of the town are pubs and you have a few restaurants and bars.

“We need something for them to latch on to, we work closely with the Commemoration Hall and hold events and theatre to boost night economy, this idea is about adding to that offering to grow the night time economy to make it more sustainable for business like the pubs, bars that are here hopefully attract new businesses.”

Mr Sweeney explained that the idea for the boutique cinema is to offer a different experience for people coming to watch films, including offering sofas for seating and potentially a cocktail bar.

He said the cinema structure was still within the building, but said funding the project was probably the “main stumbling block” at this stage. He said he was hoping they would be able to apply for grants and potentially find funding from other sources.

Mr Sweeney stressed however, that the discussions were still early on and said he did not want to get people’s hopes up at this stage.

The building is owned by the district council and the authority said it recognised the “longstanding community interest in the future of the building”. In a report published by the authority it recognised the benefits opening the cinema could bring, but also highlighted the challenges.

The district council said: “Whilst the council and Huntingdon BID do not underestimate the level of difficulty in enabling a project such as this, if successful this would significantly contribute to supporting the evening economy and cultural activities within Huntingdon town centre. It may potentially also provide Huntingdon BID with a supplementary income with which to support wider town centre activities.”