Only hotel plan can save historic cinema building – developer

Published on Friday 9 October 2009 22:09

A HISTORIC Edinburgh cinema will fall into decline unless it is transformed into a hotel, the developer behind the project warned yesterday.

Campaigners are opposing proposals to redevelop the Odeon cinema in the South Side as a hotel. But Bruce Hare, chief executive of Duddingston House Properties, said there was "no other viable option" to safeguard the building's future.

Breaking a six-year silence since his company bought the site in South Clerk Street, he insisted plans which would see the demise of the B-listed cinema auditorium were the only way to secure the art-deco building, boarded up since 2003.

Duddingston's latest scheme, unveiled over two years ago, would see the historic faade, foyer and former caf-bar retained and converted. But the auditorium would make way for hotel rooms and a courtyard.

Strong opposition to Duddingston's plans from Historic Scotland – and a high-profile pro-test campaign – led to the Scottish Government calling in the plans, amid claims Duddingston had failed to consider alternative uses for the auditorium properly or take seriously approaches to buy the building.

Mr Hare said his firm had made every effort to retain the auditorium with previous schemes, which received a hostile reaction from councillors and community groups, and had looked at converting into everything from a concert hall to a leisure club without finding a suitable project with enough backing from the authorities.

He insists his company has never been made a serious offer for the building – despite more than 50 visits from groups and organisations expressing an interest in taking on the building. Supporters of the firm's plans include Architecture and Design Scotland, the Cockburn Association and Scottish Enterprise.

Mr Hare told The Scotsman: "It is for nostalgic reasons that people are against the demolition of the auditorium, (but] we've

done everything possible to retain the auditorium, but none of our schemes proved financially viable or acceptable to the council or Historic Scotland.

"We believe we have a terrific proposal which protects much of the building, while finding a new, sustainable use to protect it in the long term. The building will deteriorate unless it is brought back into use. We have to find an alternative use for it. It will be a very serious situation if our plans are turned down."