Support for bid to preserve cinema
CAMPAIGNERS fighting to save Doncaster's historic Odeon cinema have been joined in their battle by the Theatres Trust.
The organisation has written to Doncaster Council's planning department calling for the building to be preserved and has placed the site on its Theatres at Risk register.
The backing comes after the Government refused to grant listed building status for the art deco building, which could be demolished as part as a proposal by developer Lazarus to replace it with an office and leisure complex including Doncaster's only casino.
The council is legally obliged to consult the trust on any project involving a theatre site. The building is classified as a theatre because it was used for stage shows in the past, including performances in the 50s and 60s from The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Little Richard and Buddy Holly.
The trust has told the council it does not accept claims it has become an eyesore which cannot be retained because of its state of disrepair.
A letter from the trust's planning and architecture adviser, Mark Price, has been sent to planning officer Martin Graham calling for the building to be saved.
He said: "The trust has been concerned about the loss of the Odeon for some time now and we have included it on the Theatres Trust's Building at Risk Register.
"We consider the building retains much local merit and should be repaired and preserved as part of the street scene, and that it has value because it represents 'a building of its time' and fits in with other buildings along the street.
"We disagree that the building cannot be retained. The main reason for its 'state of disrepair' is largely due to lack of maintenance. At the very least, the facade and immediate return walls would be perfectly capable of being restored and incorporated into any redevelopment scheme.
"The exterior is a stylish and streamlined Moderne composition on a corner plot with textured brickwork and has a strong horizontal emphasis.
"Although corrugated metal cladding has been added to the facade, it is easily reversible and would reveal the very fine bas-relief by the architect's brother, Newbury A Trent."
An English Heritage report turned the building down for listing because it had been too heavily altered inside and outside to be of interest in a national context, but said it made a positive contribution to the Hallgate conservation area and could be a candidate for a local list.
The Friends of Doncaster Odeon (FODO) was set up to try to save the building. Spokesman Ray Nortrop said much of the information put forward by the trust echoed its own experts' advice.
The Odeon, formerly the Gaumont Palace, opened in September 1934 and was designed by the architects WE and WS Trent.
It originally seated 2,020 and was built with a large stage and dressing rooms. The screen could be taken out for stage shows.
Odeon sold the cinema to Doncaster-based Lazarus in March 2008.
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Lazarus intends to build a 13 million development on the site which would also include shops, eating places, a gym and offices.
A planning application has been submitted to Doncaster Council.
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