Hopes raised Odeon will not be razed

Published on Thursday 21 May 2009 09:58

HISTORIC Scotland is expected to order a public inquiry into plans to demolish the old Odeon cinema after consultants recommended it should be saved.

Edinburgh-based Duddingston House Properties (DHP) wants to demolish the main body of the art-deco building as part of its plans to create a 231-bed boutique hotel.

The facade of the B-listed building would be retained as part of the controversial development.

But consultants commissioned by the heritage watchdog have rejected the argument – accepted by the city council when it gave the demolition the go-ahead – that DHP's plans were the only economically viable option for the building.

Drivers Jonas' report, released to the Evening News under the Freedom of Information Act, states: "We do not believe the demolition of the auditorium is justified."

More than 5,000 people have signed a petition urging Historic Scotland to order a public inquiry.

The report has delighted campaigners and politicians who still hope to save the 1930s cinema as an arts venue.

A spokesman for the Save the Odeon campaign said: "The report for Historic Scotland is positive news, and reinforces our view that council planners treated their planning committee as a 'rubber-stamp' for their plans for the Odeon.

"We now await Historic Scotland's decision either to recommend approval of the planning application, or its referral for decision to a public inquiry.

"Either way, there is much potential controversy still ahead."

The Odeon, in Clerk Street, closed in 2003 and apart from occasional use as a venue during the Festival has lain empty ever since.

Lothians Green MSP Robin Harper said: "I am delighted to discover that the Drivers Jonas report confirms what I always believed, that there is no justification for demolishing the auditorium in the old Odeon building.

"We now know that a reasonable and credible offer has been made by a potential buyer who would restore and use the intact building, and it is now very clear that DHP, the developer, has been trying to obtain the maximum financial gain for itself, rather than putting the future of this historic and important Edinburgh landmark first.

"Historic Scotland must now recommend that Scottish ministers 'call in' the planning application to a full public inquiry."

A Historic Scotland spokeswoman said: "We are currently considering our view on the application, which does include consideration of the Drivers Jonas report within the wider context of the application.

"We hope to make a final decision in the near future."

No-one at DHP, whose plans for the site also include artists' studios and a restaurant, was available to comment.