A demolition notice has been issued to rid Dover of Castle Street’s eyesore – the former Granada cinema and Snoops nightclub.

It was received on Monday by Dover District Council and work has already started to remove the roof of the premises which has been derelict for more than a decade.

A council spokesman said: “A demolition notice has been issued for the removal of the roof at this location, and a further application was received on Monday, July 28, to demolish the whole building.

“A demolition notice is a requirement of building regulations to ensure work is undertaken safely, and authorities need to be satisfied that work is being carried out with due regard to health and safety matters.

“DDC planning needs to be involved through a prior notification application before work to demolish the whole building can start. We continue to monitor the situation.”

The building opened in 1930 as the Granada cinema, it then became ABC – one of four cinemas occupying the town.

In its nightclub days, the premises was called Images, then Snoops. The building shut for good under the name of Snoops.

Former Dover Mercury chief reporter Graham Tutthill said: “It was a really good place when it was running.

“It was a very popular place both as a cinema and for the pop concerts which took place.”

JD Wetherspoon bought the dilapidated building in 2007 to convert it into a pub but such work never started.

Community organisation Dover Big Local and helpers raised £9,000 last year to place branded vertical banners over the front of the building in a bid to smarten it up.

It is not yet known what will replace it.

Would you like to share your memories of the former Granada cinema? If so, send them to: mercurynews@thekmgroup.co.uk