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Campaigners urge council action to preserve cinema
Campaigners trying to save Bradford's former Odeon cinema are calling on the city's council to serve a preservation notice on the historic building.
Members of Bradford Odeon Rescue Group (Borg) yesterday handed over a petition signed by more than 1,000 people to Bradford Liberal Democrat party deputy leader, councillor David Ward, who will submit it to the authority.
Campaigners want the notice served to allow time to arrange a full independent structural survey of the entire building – which they claim has never taken place.
Their visit to the landmark building in Bradford city centre also revealed what appeared to be the original terracotta blocks beneath tiles on the building's exterior, which have only been visible since controversial work was carried out to remove the former cinema's canopies.
John Pennington, of Borg, said: "The entire front of the building is clad in terracotta blocks; this is probably one of the most expensive building materials in the world. The original has been tiled over.
"This is another plus – you cannot pull down a building that is covered in terracotta.
"The structural survey which we have disputed from day one has never been carried out on the full building. It has only been carried out on the towers and we believe only on one of the towers."
The clock is ticking towards the earmarked demolition of the former cinema to make way for a new 55m development of offices, apartments and a 100-bedroom hotel called New Victoria Place.
Bradford Centre Regeneration, which ran a design competition for developers to come up with ideas for the site, has yet to submit a planning application for the scheme.
Coun Ward said the public has been told the building, which is owned by Yorkshire Forward, has no future because of its structural state but that a full structural survey would finally establish whether or not this was the case.
He said: "I think it needs to be looked at independently by someone agreeable to all.
"The council is now saying that the Odeon has to go through the planning process but all the planning committee can do is to look at a planning application for the new building – it cannot take part in discussion on the old building.
"That's why we cannot sit back and wait for the planning process because it will not ask if this building is fundamentally sound.
"There is now a formal process for receipt of petitions. The council has to refer it somewhere for discussion and it must formally respond."
Bradford Council said the petition would be considered in "due course" when it is received.
Neither Bradford Council nor BCR were able to comment on the issue of the structural survey.
Chairman of Borg Norman Littlewood, said: "We know the original structural 'survey' BCR said it had commissioned only covered the condition of the towers – and they won't show anyone a 'full' survey report, so does it exist?
"If Bradford councillors have the interests of the people at heart, they will listen to what the people have been saying for years and act accordingly – and properly – by getting a truly independent structural survey of the Odeon building."
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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