A FORMER cinema in Bournemouth is one step closer to redevelopment after BCP Council gave the thumbs up.
Plans to transform the old Odeon Cinema in Westover Road, Bournemouth town centre, have been given the go-ahead by BCP Council.
Developer Libra Homes wants to revamp the exterior of the building, build 64 apartments, a 67-space car park and 1,093 sq m of commercial floor space.
While work has yet to begin, some shoppers are not too sure of the proposal on what has historically been known as Bournemouth’s Bond Street.
Judith Wheatley, 58, said: “The problem is there are too many flats and not enough homes being built for families.
“We don’t need more flats being built.”
However, other shoppers could see the benefits.
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Ella Didcott, 29, said: “I can see the appeal of living in new flats here in the town centre, especially if you have all you need at your fingertips like shops and gyms.”
Roger Cooper, out shopping with his wife, said: “It will be good to have a bit of life in the road as it hasn’t been great lately with shops closing.
“But it’s the same story anywhere. Investment is needed to bring people back.”
Although the plans have been agreed, the council has also said there are some conditions the developer must adhere to so it can progress with the build.
This includes contributing £70,000 towards improving cycle and pedestrian routes in the area and £15,488 in heathland mitigation.
The site, along with the ABC cinema building in the same road, was bought by Libra Homes for more than £6m in 2017, following the construction of the BH2 complex where the cinema is now located.
In 2017, two planning applications were submitted for the plot, the first for 101 flats and the second for 84, but both were refused by Bournemouth Council due to concerns about their scale.
First built in 1929, the former Odeon Cinema building was initially called The Regent Cinema and could seat 2,300 people and an additional 300 people in its restaurant.
In 1949 the cinema was renamed the Gaumont before becoming an Odeon Cinema in the 1980s.
The screens showed their final film in February 2017 when the Odeon moved into the brand new BH2 multiplex, which was billed as Odeon’s most “innovative cinema in the UK.”
The building has been in decline since.
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