Odeon should be saved from demolition says heritage body

Published on Tuesday 29 September 2009 22:23

PLANS TO demolish the majority of a historic cinema building have been thrown into doubt after Scotland's main heritage watchdog said it had failed to properly consider alternative offers for the site.

Historic Scotland told a Scottish government probe that the former Odeon, in Edinburgh's Southside, should be rescued from demolition on the grounds that various offers to secure its future had not been seriously considered.

Duddingston House Properties plans to remove the cinema's auditorium to make way for a hotel, bar-restaurant and art gallery, but has been criticised for failing to justify the move and over-estimating the current value of the building.

Only the art deco facade would be retained under the plans, although historians and heritage experts rate the auditorium one of the best in the UK.