The new Nuneaton Ritz plan has been revealed for its restaurant and community hall

A revised plan has been unveiled for the former Ritz bingo hall in Nuneaton. The prominent building has sat empty for more than a decade, standing an abandoned shadow of its former self.

It is a listed building as it houses impressive Art Deco, Neo Egyptian and Chinoiserie inspired motifs as well as a deeply coffered ceiling with a distinctive staircase. A new planning application has revealed that the building, fondly remembered by generations, will finally be brought back into use.

The proposals explain: “The Ritz has been empty for over a decade and is now in a poor state of repair. Renovation and repair are necessary if the building is to survive and make a positive contribution to the local community.

“The building in its current state does not contribute positively to the local area as it has derelict, empty facades on all sides and is a target for vandals.”

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Semichyong UK bought the building for £339,500 on 27 February 2019 and planning proposals have received conditional approval as early as 2021 for community use and a new restaurant.

The new proposals are a resubmission of that request and explain: “Our client aims to bring the entire building back into use by both the Nepali community and the local community as a whole. In this sense, they will repair the structure of the building. and create an asset to the community for years to come.”

The application aims to:

• Renovation of exterior facades, including replacement of existing windows
• Renovation of the interior of the building
• Change of use from bingo hall (E) to mixed use including a restaurant, community hall (for private functions including social events, film screenings, theater productions, speeches and presentations), prayer/yoga/meditation space, conference facilities
• small residential apartment for occasional use by visiting speakers / professors

What do the plans entail?

The application states that the plans aim to reduce the impact of the work on the listed building. But it says some internal changes are needed to make the building “fit for purpose”.

They say that in most cases the walls to be removed are stud walls that were added when the building was converted into a bingo hall. “Where we intend to remove sections of wall from areas with a decorative ceiling, such as the proposed restaurant area, the walls will only be removed up to door height,” the proposal explains, adding that this will ensure the ceiling remains intact.

All new walls will be light studded, with soundproofing where required. In the hall, the height of the stage will be reduced to 1 m above the floor of the hall. This involves the removal of the existing high level stage with bar below, which was installed as part of the bingo hall conversion.

The new step will be approximately 250mm lower than the original stage height. “The most important work inside is at the balcony level, where we aim to level the levels to create usable rooms,” the application explains.

“To achieve this we aim to raise the bar with lightweight wood/steel construction. The existing levels will be retained and the new structure will sit on top of them. The existing structure has been checked by a structural engineer who has confirmed that this will be possible, but we will work with them in the detailed design phase to develop details with minimal impact on the existing building.”

It further adds that the work will be phased with the restaurant and main hall completed first. This is so that income can be generated to fund work to the rest of the building.

The plan is now being reviewed by City Hall officers. As part of this, a public consultation takes place.

The application and all documents can be viewed on the council’s website under the planning applications section by searching reference number 040314.

The consultation will run until June 25, and the target decision date is July 29.

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