Extension sought for Odeon office block
COUNCILLORS in Manchester are expected to grant a three-year extension to a planning consent for a 14-storey office block on the site of the Oxford Street Odeon.
In April US developer Hines signed up to build an office block called ‘Landmark’ to be delivered through a joint venture with the building’s owner Manchester & Metropolitan Properties.
The cinema’s canopy has already been pulled down but no further work is expected until a pre-let is agreed.
The plan has attracted some opposition from campaigners who want to preserve the cinema and say a 178,000 sq ft office block is inappropriate for a conservation area. Nonetheless, consent was first granted in 2007 and renewed in 2010. The current application, lodged by Deloitte Real Estate, has been recommended for approval.
In their report planning officers said: “The development would assist in the ongoing regeneration of this part of the city centre and it is considered that the applicant has provided sufficient justification for the demolition of the building and the subsequent redevelopment which it is considered would enhance the character of the George Street and adjacent Peter Street Conservation Area.
“The loss of the former Odeon Cinema would lead to less than substantial harm to the character of the conservation area and that when weighed against the public benefits of the proposals.”
The building, which operated as a cinema from 1930 to 2004, also hosted concerts by The Beatles and the Rolling Stones, and is said to have been where Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise first met. Campaigners tried to save the building through a listing but the bid was rejected with English Heritage saying much of the interior had been too badly damaged.
