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Odeon – West End screens could be going underground
UNDERGROUND cinema has long been a marker of quality among movie buffs, and romcoms can leave some with that sinking feeling, but film-goers could soon be sitting in-front of a screen six feet deep if planning chiefs give the nod to a new super development.
The Odeon West End in Leicester Square, a landmark for celebrity-spotters and blockbuster fans, could be knocked down and moved underground to make way for a nine-storey block complete with hotel, flats and four restaurants.
Under plans submitted to Westminster City Council’s planning department the current two screens – one accommodating 500 and the other 832 – would be moved below ground into a basement complex. But the number of seats would be cut to 200 and 440.
The company masterminding the proposals, Steamboat Development, is planning to open three al fresco restaurants on the ground floor with a fourth on the top boasting panoramic views of the West End.
A 245-bedroom hotel would occupy the first to fifth floors with 33 flats on the remaining floors.
In the plans, the project is described as: “an exceptional design solution completing the corner of Leicester Square, while relating comfortably to the building and character of the surrounding conservation area.”
It says: “The redevelopment will contribute to raising the profile of a revitalised Leicester Square and in turn enhancing the capital’s position as a world visitor destination.”
The development would go alongside the council’s proposed £18.5million scheme to revive the square.
The Odeon West End dates from 1937 when it was built alongside the Alhambra Theatre – a large music hall from the 1850s. It became the first cinema to boast a wide-screen when it was fitted with the technology in 1953. As well as hosting numerous premières it also hold the annual BFI London Film Festival. |
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