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A historic building in Grangemouth town centre sold at auction yesterday for £55,000 and now a local group is trying to track down the new owners to ask them what their intentions are for the premises.

Bo’ness and Grangemouth Arts Trust was established to save and eventually run the Empire Electric Theatre – also known as the La Scala – for community use. The

group ran into a brick wall in its bid to stop the Station Road premises going up for sale yesterday when the former owners refused to enter into talks to stop the sale.

The trust had been speaking to the former owners since early 2017 and were upset the sale went ahead.

The La Scala Cinema became a listed building in 2007

A spokesperson for the trust said: “We closely followed the La Scala auction with the Acuitus auction house. We can now advise La Scala went for £55,000. We do not know who the new owners are but we would ask the community to keep an eye out for people looking at La Scala.

"If anyone knows the person who bid on it, please get them to contact us so we can ask them questions about their intentions for La Scala.”

The historic landmark opened as the Electric Empire Theatre back in 1913. and became the La Scala Cinema in 1916. The La Scala Cinema closed in 1971 and became an independently operated bingo hall, known as the Carlton Bingo Club, until it closed in 2006. One of the reasons given was the new law banning smoking in public places.

Historic Scotland designated the La Scala a Grade C listed building in May 2007.

Historic Grangemouth landmark sold to highest bidder for £55,000

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