Odeon plans draw 150 to exhibition (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Odeon plans draw 150 to exhibition

12:03pm Thursday 9th October 2008 in Bradford By Will Kilner

An artist's impression of how the site would look

About 150 people attended a public exhibition to view plans to transform the site of the former Odeon cinema in Bradford city centre.

Langtree Artisan, the developer behind the New Victoria Place proposal, said the majority of those who visited the week-long exhibition thought the scheme was a “progressive step forward” for Bradford city centre.

The £55m plan would see the demolition of the existing building and its twin towers to make way for a mixed-use development including a hotel, apartments and the city centre’s first A-grade office space.

Glyn Turner, of Langtree Artisan, said: “The majority of those who attended the public exhibition thought the scheme was a progressive step forward for Bradford city centre, supporting the redevelopment of the Bradford Odeon site, and were very excited about what New Victoria Place will bring to the city, particularly the huge job creation, public realm and retail opportunities.

“Some visitors did want to see the refurbishment of the Bradford Odeon. But what we found when we discussed their views was that there was a lack of understanding about the structural and internal condition of the building and the fact the refurbishment of this site is not economically feasible.

“What we must remember is that the current building was designed and built for a bespoke use in 1930 but it has since been substantially altered and has lost many of its original features.”

Mr Turner said Langtree Artisan and Yorkshire Forward, which owns the Odeon site, were creating a benchmark for Bradford’s future regeneration and had already received numerous inquiries for the office and hotel elements of the development.

David Custance, of Yorkshire Forward, said: “Bradfordians who took the opportunity to come to the exhibition and find out more about the scheme for themselves have used words such as “progressive” and an “inspiring scheme” to describe the new vision and this is exactly what we want to see from this development.”

The Bradford Odeon Rescue Group, which opposes the demolition of the existing building, believes the structural faults are being overstated and can be remedied more easily than is believed.