Part of covering removed from Odeon building (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Safety fears lead to sheeting being pulled down

9:00am Tuesday 8th January 2013 in News By Claire Armstrong, T&A Reporter

The Odeon with its covers partly removed

Protective sheeting around the former Odeon building in Bradford has been partially removed because of fears it had become unsafe.

As the Telegraph & Argus reported last week, high winds had ripped away some of the temporary sheeting, which had been shielding the scaffolding around the city centre building.

On Saturday workers took down the top section of the remaining sheeting to make sure the site did not pose a hazard to pedestrians or motorists.

A spokesman for the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), which owns the building, said: “We instructed our agents to remove the sheeting completely from the exterior over the weekend as it had become a potential hazard.”

But he said they would be retaining the scaffolding for a few more months in case Council engineers needed access to the exterior of the building.

Bradford Council leader, Coun David Green, said the sheeting had been removed from the building to make it safe for pedestrians and road users.

He said: “The plastic wrap was initially put up for safety reasons whilst the HCA carried out work on the site, which has now been completed.

“The sheeting had become loose in the severe winds we had the other week and we didn’t want it blowing onto the highway causing a hazard.”

He said the Council and the HCA had agreed that the sheeting would not be replaced, as they awaited the result of a planning application to use the building for advertising.

The HCA has applied for permission to place an advertising wrap around the outside of the Odeon, and planners are due to make a decision next month. The HCA’s plan is to put lit advertising screens around the north and east sides of the building for up to three years. So far the proposal has attracted 70 objections.

The spokesman said if the plan was given the go-ahead, the wrap would be made from a stronger material, called mesh supreme. He also said the advertising would also be more likely to be replaced at regular intervals as the adverts changed.