Odeon to go in £40m town facelift?
Wednesday 30th June 2010, 3:00PM BST.
An artist’s impression of the new development
DEVELOPERS want to knock down the Odeon Cinema as part of a £40m regeneration of the area.
C Le Masurier Ltd, who own the defunct building, have announced plans today to build a block of flats, with shops and restaurants.
The property company, owned by the Clarke family, also want to widen the pavement in Bath Street and provide car parking and a new ‘green belt’ connecting the Millennium Town Park with the town centre.
The Le Masuriers believe that their plans for the Odeon area complement current plans to revamp the north of town at no cost to the taxpayer.
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Seem good to me. Go for it, anything is better than what we have now!
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Did anyone see this coming !!!
Another money making development plan “Dressed Up” to encourage the gullible Jersey public. I am Jersey born & bred and this Island is disgusting me…. Oh well, there’s a boat in the morning.
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Fantastic I hope it happens.
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Good Idea
The newness has well and truly worn off that whole area.
An enterprise such as this is certainly welcome to me, especially as its privately funded.
Hopefully it will be another boost to our suffering construction industry.
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Awful, Awful and AWFUL!!!! Mad even considering this, especially the traffic chaos expierenced daily on an hourly basis!
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Aren’t the trees bordering the park going to be flats? The artist’s impression/ perspective appears rather optimistic.
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I thought the Odeon was a listed building
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I really hope this gets the green light, this whole area is a complete dump especially the Odeon building.
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I’m no fan of the art deco architecture so beloved of developers in jersey, even in its original form, but…
It’s not so much losing an affordable cinema as gaining yet another monstrous carbuncle of overpriced, buy-to-let ‘luxury’ flats.
And if it’s the Clarke family who own the company, who are ‘The LeMasuriers’ mentioned in the article?
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They,d be better off selling the lot to tesco,and so would us townies!
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Luxury flats – you must be kidding. Social pre-fab housing is about all that area needs.
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the odeon is a dull carbuncle, the forum was stunning.
if the dull odeon is to be kept , why not ripp the inside out and build “the new style car park on that site”.
the spaces can then be rented to the tenants of the over priced buy to lets.
if the have any money left.
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If we lose gasworks car park with the town park and Ann Street car park does not go ahead (which it shouldn’t as it’s right in the middle of a really built up area) then where are the commuters to park?
The Odeon should be built into a multi storey car park to solve the car parking problems on that side of town once and for all (still retaining Minden Place for shoppers only) – however the COM’s policy is to force cars out of town by not providing adequate parking.
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No2 Disenchanted
You had me rolling on the floor. Well put.
Right next to Gas place “park”. I am really confused!
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“connecting the Millennium Town Park with the town centre” What town park?
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Am I the only person who believes something could be made of this building? I agree that it looks awful at the moment, but some restoration and modernisation could turn this building into a rather stunning and individual construct. Architecturally it has some unique and interesting features that weren’t treated sympathetically during the Odean era. We just need vision and imagination, something this plan lacks. It’s just lazy, boring and uninspiring. Where’s the effort? The Forum could be developed into a national modern art gallery for the island, maybe even the National Gallery. A landmark, a destination. It would help the area so much more than this proposal. How much more ambitious, tasteful and inspiring it would be.
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looks great. only trouble is that their is a busy road between the flats and the park. the states should build some sort of underpass so that the road is hidden. that would be much better
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I do not believe that people suggest we turn it into a car park,a little bit more imagination please.
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why not turn the odeon into an amazing casino / hotel complex. Introduce a tax directly on the casino gambling profits and ring fence this to fund health and education budgets – this will reduce pressure on general taxation, and increase tourism. This is how Nevada state managed to overcome budget deficits in setting up Las Vegas.
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Boxtastic!!
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The Odeon is listed.Is this not set in stone? Usually not, it seems.The slime trail of amateur third rate planners and some politicians has prevailed in so many instances, too numerous to mention.The now tragically associated unfinished Dubai palace at Le Saie, which I visited yesterday, is the ultimate disgrace, closely followed by Portelet.Neither will benefit taxpayers, only those whom are already enriched and have the power to over rule Jersey’s planning and environmental policies.
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Look at the picture- the proposed building is so high!!! im all for the change, but please don’t make it too high, out of line of the other buildings, and please think about car parking. other than that i can’t wait!
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Yes its a good idea but please make sure plenty of car parking is built into the development.
It will generate work and clean up an awful eyesore. The Odean should NEVER have been an SSI building and should be4 knocked down.
Well done to the developers and good luck.
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The Park is opposed by people who wanted flats and parking.
This is a solution where we get a park, flats and parking and now you want a casino or an art gallery.
In a worst case scenario we would argue about this until LM decide not to bother and this building stays looking like this for ever.
Ok if you want a Gallery ask the States to buy the site build a gallery and fund it.
I applaud the plan at last a neglected part of town gets sorted out.
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Art deco buildings are not to everyone’s taste. Personally I like them. Les Lumieres on Route Orange – wow ! But my wife hates it. She says it looks like a load of Lego bricks.
However to tear down heritage because it has been allowed to become tatty is, in my opinion, unwise. Looks how many centuries old buildings were torn down in the UK during the 1960’s to be replaced by conceptual concrete designs which in turn are being torn down now.
For sure, the area is in dire need of a facelift.
Why not request that the building and its features be incorporated into a development of affordable housing and parkland. What about a leisure facility. Indoor ice skating and skate park with restaurants?
Being so close to King Street would be the death knell for many retailers already struggling with high rents, probable competition at Liberty Wharf (should they fill it) and the internet.
Try asking the people what they want …. An inexpensive internet survey would be nice.
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I forget how many years this park proposal has been on and off the drawing board. It is likely to continue for many more until an unpopular economic lead decision is made.
As for car parking. The solution is simple. Excavate a seriously large hole, put one or two layers of concrete and hey presto! You have a multi-storey car park, but concealed below ground. The green park would sit nicely above it and everyone is happy.
This of course won’t happen in reality, because common sense never prevails in the Planning Dept.
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The Odeon is one ugly unsightly building if ever there was one, get rid of it.
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Perhaps the powers that be would be kind enough to
knock down the horrible communist 1960s shops in King street while there on about it.
De Gruchys and BHS not to mention various other outlets are a disgrace.
You only have to cross the water to see how the 21st century looks with well presented shops and well mannered helpfull staff.
Why is Jersey still in the 1960s????
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#17 Dave
Within the North of Town Materplan it is intended that Bath Street is made one way (North) and the pavements widened with tree planting and benches. Consequently, the road shuoldn’t be as busy and therefore no need for an underpass.
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Didn’t they propose and then withdraw a similar scheme in 2004 because of lack of support from residents and businesses? What’s new?
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The Odeon is a listed building (or so we have been told for years), meaning one cannot just “tear it down and re-build” in its place.
Enough with over priced flats already! We have MORE than our fair share of building like this already and developers are already having a hard enough time selling the ones we currently have…
Lets have something the locals want up instead of something the Le Masurier’s can make yet MORE money.
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Hi
If my memory is correct Le Masurier’s purchased this building from Odeon for somewhere around £500,000 barely more than the price of an average house. Presumably the price was so low because of the SSI and as the property wasn’t if I recall correctly ever openly advertised for sale they must have known what they were getting. If they are not happy with it why don’t they offer it up for sale at the price they paid , surely at that price some imaginative use would be viable?
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I misread this I thought it said the Odeon to be knocked down for £40 million. I thought damn, they must be using the same crew who are resurfacing the avenue, £40 million to knock down the Odeon and it would probably take 9 months.
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Having worked in the asbestos industry over here I know that the Odeon building is very contaminated in the roof and wall voids. This means that to change the use into something other than the cinema would mean the complete gutting of the building by speacialist asbestos contractors. The cost would be huge and to make it viable residential/commercial use is the only way to make the money – a car park wouldn’t!
So like it or not the only 2 solutions are leave it as it is until it falls down because change of use would be financially prohibitive or knock it down (safely removing all the asbestos contaminated walls and ceilings) and build the new project that will pay for all the asbestos removal needed.
Oh yeah, meant to say, the asbestos in the building at present is safe where it is, it only becomes an issue if there would be a change of use of the building or demolition.
So Mr Binney if you have the money to get rid of the contaminated wall and ceiling voids I’m sure Le Masuriers would be happy to sell it to you. I just love it when “experts” come out of the woodwork and make comments WITHOUT all the information!
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i remain completely confused as to how a 1950′s concrete eyesore became a ‘listed building’. It’s a hideous lump, and I shall be heartily glad when it has gone.
I do, however, agree that whatever replaces “Der Odeon Bunker” should be more in scale with the rest of the area. However, undoubtedly the developers will wish to extract the maximum value from the site and NOTHING any of the public say will prevent that happening.
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This £40 Million stimulus to our economy is needed right now.
Please don’t delay the decision till the recession has passed, let it be built.
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Why not turn it back into a fire station?
Are we forgetting our heritage?
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If you build it, they will come…
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R B Bougourd #37
Are you confusing the Odeon with the old Fire Ftation in Nelson st now being used by the St Helier Honorary Police ?
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great to see the monstrocity gone.
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Oh good – just what we need – more flats, shops and restaurants – plenty of empty ones around already – but dont let that stop you!!!! Also if the Odeon is a listed building the person responsible for this decision needs glasses – at the very least!!!!!
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The whole area is an eyesore – this should never have been listed in the first place! It will regenerate that whole area if something better is put there and may actually be a part of St Helier that people would like to live!
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We don’t need to waste money on a town park in this financial climate when public spending needs to be curbed. What we need is competition in the cinema industry. The states should be persuading Le Masuriers to restore and reopen the cinema one way or another to provide proper competition on the island.
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The Odeon is in keeping with the hideous terrace house flat/dentists/doctors conversions in that area. If you demolish the Odeon then demolish Belmont Road/Bath Street and renew the whole area.
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I haven’t read the replies so forgive me if I’m repeating things but a question and a comments:
1. I thought it was a listed building (not that, that counts for diddly)?
2.I’m 28 now so by the time it actually happens I’ll either be dead of dribbling and wetting myself in a nursing home.
9 months to resurface 3 miles of road I ASK YOU?
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I was lucky enough to hear the exact plans at the Press Conference and I felt mightily proud of the Clarke family and the plans to regenerate the north sector of town, which has been sadly neglected whilst all efforts have been made to glam up the Waterfront site at great cost to the tax payer. the proposed project is not only in the public’s best interest (with commercial and residential developments as well as ample car parking), providing a much needed beauty spot and pedestrian permeability through that area of town… all it takes is the removal of an asbestos riddled eye-sore that the Le Masurier group have spent great time and investment sustaining to no avail… What’s not to like about this generous (no cost to tax payer!) and much needed improvement to an area of town that is currently an underused, ugly concrete region of town?! BEST OF LUCK TO THE LE MASURIER GROUP.
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#39, PJG.
‘Are you confusing the Odeon with the old Fire Ftation in Nelson st…?’
Probably. I was quite young at the time and couldn’t see over the hoarding! Once there was a fire station then there was an Odeon.
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lmbathstreet.je
The above site may be of interest to those who want to see a fuller version of the proposal.
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40,Toastteacakes.
The best comment I have read in ages, the whole asea needs bulldozed, Gas Place, Tunnell St,Simon Place, the whole issue, the area has no charachter and the houses are rotten with damp, do the job properly and flatten the whole lot.
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Why and by whom was this ugly building listed in the first place?
The LM proposal is the best thing to get that part of town some much needed regeneration.
The States can never get anything done
so let private enterprise get on with it.
The sooner the better.
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No. 48 No thank you, the fuller version of the proposal is not interesting either. The whole area is a dump and a recycling centre is all that is required there.
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I feel compelled to retract some of what I said in post #16. Having a further look on their website lmbathstreet.je I must say the plans do demonstrate imagination and individuality whilst presenting great potential for regeneration. Compared to many developments in St.Helier the Clark family have put forward something of care & taste. My preference however remains of restoring this building whilst adding some new features allowing it to become a national gallery. I truly feel this would offer a once in a lifetime opportunity for the island. Nevertheless I now welcome these plans.
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