Battle declared over 'unforgivable' plan to destroy cinema

Published on Thursday 17 April 2008 01:39

THE demolition of a historic cinema in Edinburgh would be "unforgivable", architectural experts have warned.

A campaign has been mounted to rescue the former Odeon, in Newington. The Cinema Theatre Association has urged the city's council to reject 20 million plans to remove all but the facade of the building.

A developer which has owned the building for almost five years wants to replace it with a hotel, bar and restaurant complex.

The Scotsman has learned that officials at Historic Scotland are almost certain to object to the loss of the auditorium, which dates back to 1930.

But one heritage group has thrown its weight behind the scheme, saying it is unlikely another cinema could be sustained in the city, and that the council should be protecting the viability of existing historic facilities.

Under the plans, films would be shown in an 80-seater theatre and an outdoor courtyard.

The Odeon closed in August 2003 after being bought by Duddingston, a development firm. It has lain empty since.

Duddingston officials had insisted the closure was a matter for the Odeon chain, which pinned the blame for its demise on the council for allowing too many multiplexes to open.

Fresh plans were unveiled earlier this year by the developer, which insisted it had exhausted all attempts to sell the building or retain its main auditorium.

Councillors were due to decide its fate within the next few months. However, The Scotsman understands Duddingston may be forced into a rethink because of the groundswell of opposition.

The Cinema Theatre Association has been lobbying Historic Scotland to offer greater protection to the former Odeon by awarding it A-listed status.

A spokesman, Gary Painter, said: "These current proposals do not represent an acceptable, limited loss of historic fabric. They involve the gutting of the heart of the building, removing almost everything that made it of interest – and worth listing – in the first place.

"This would irreparably and unforgivably damage the character of this listed building."

A spokeswoman for Historic Scotland said: "The Clerk Street Odeon is the finest surviving cinema in Edinburgh.

"We were considering upgrading the listing (from B to A], but that was postponed when the application was lodged as we do not normally consider buildings for listing while there are live planning issues."

However, Euan Leitch, of the Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland, said: "Demolition of the main auditorium would be a great loss to cinema heritage, but its retention is only of value if the auditorium is restored to its 1930, 2,000-seat capacity."