9:52am Tuesday 13th October 2009
By Mark Stead
BOSSES at a York cinema have submitted plans to create an extra screen to City of York Council.
The authority is now set to decide whether the owners of Reel Cinema – which has breathed new life into the former Odeon building in Blossom Street – can add a fourth movie-showing space to the site.
If it is given the go-ahead, the new screen will take the place of office space on the first floor of the cinema and is expected to boast 40 seats, in what would be the latest addition to the building since Reel reopened it earlier this year following a major refurbishment programme.
The company’s managing director Kailash Suri – who has also recently unveiled plans to open an Indian-style restaurant in the site’s former ground floor shop – said the extra facility would boost the choice the art deco-style York cinema can offer customers.
It currently contains an 880-seat main auditorium and two smaller screens downstairs, with the location for the proposed fourth screen being earmarked for an area which is currently used as a management office and an existing set of stairs from the new foyer providing film fans with access.
“This is a very important addition for us,” said Mr Suri.
“It would give us more choice about the number of films we can show and we also plan to make it an area which can be used for various different things, such as special screenings.
“But the main idea behind installing a fourth screen, if we are given permission, would be to allow us to show a couple more films every week.”
The former Odeon building’s Grade II-listed status means special planning consent would be required for any new developments, although agents acting for Reel have said no alterations to its structure would be necessary.
Meanwhile, Mr Suri also said he hoped an announcement on when a 3D compatible screen can be opened in the main auditorium “within a couple of months”.
The Odeon closed in August 2006, despite thousands of Press readers joining a campaign calling for it to be kept open, and remained a derelict shell for almost three years before Reel relaunched it in June, spending a “substantial” sum on the extensive refit and employing between 30 and 35 staff.
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