Regeneration chief slates Odeon building

5:30pm Friday 18th July 2008

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A top regional development official has dubbed Bradford’s former Odeon cinema a “crap building” and says it should be demolished .

Don Stewart, strategy director at Yorkshire Forward, the regional development agency which owns the Odeon, told more than 100 of the city’s property professionals that that development of the site would eventually go ahead, but the current economic climate had put a block on speculative development.

Mr Stewart, who lives in Bradford, told the Bradford Property Forum that Yorkshire Forward was holding on to the Odeon site to prevent another developer stepping in and spoiling the proposed masterplan for the city centre.

He said the Park at the Heart scheme was vital to ensure future economic regeneration and would include high quality offices, of which there was a shortage in Bradford.

He said: “The simple fact is that Yorkshire Forward is holding the Odeon site in order to protect the masterplan of which it forms an important part.

“My personal view is that it is a crap building and should be pulled down.”

Although the Bradford economy was continuing to perform better than some other areas, it would be affected by a complete shutdown of speculative development in the region due to the credit crunch and economic slowdown.

He said there was a potential deal to develop the site but, like most speculative proposals around the region, this was back on the table for renegotiating like the majority of speculative property deals due to changed economic conditions.

The meeting also heard a “grovelling apology” from Yorkshire Minister Rosie Winterton for her failure to mention Bradford’s achievements in a speech to a recent international business conference where she sang the praises of other regional cities.

She said: “I apologise for the omission and am aware of the many good things that are happening in the city.”

The Minister said Terry Rooney, MP for Bradford North, had suggested that that in future Leeds should be referred to as “east Bradford”.

After the meeting John Pennington, of the Bradford Odeon Rescue Group, which has drawn up its own plans to refurbish the building, criticised Mr Stewart’s remarks about the Odeon.

“He obviously doesn’t understand the strength of feeling in Bradford,” he said.

“I think when the public of Bradford are volunteering to take part in the regeneration of their own city, it’s something to be highly commended not something that is to be responded to by counter-productive comments and a wall of silence.”