Edinburgh's George Cinema building in Portobello at risk of 'falling into ruin' say campaigners

The MP has branded is a scandal that the listed building in Portobello has been ‘left to rot’.
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A campaign has been launched to save the George Cinema in Portobello due to fears that the listed building will ‘fall into ruin’.

Edinburgh East MP Tommy Sheppard has called on the city council to step in to save the C-listed building, which operated until 2016 as a bingo hall. The former cinema in Bath Street has lain empty for seven years with city planners and the Scottish Government having knocked back attempts by developers to replace it with flats. The fenced off C-listed building has been branded an “eyesore”, with foliage growing out of it and “visible signs of deterioration”.

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Tommy Sheppard MP said: “It’s frankly scandalous that this listed building is being left to rot in the centre of Portobello’s conservation area. Edinburgh doesn’t have much of its art deco heritage left and too much of what remains is in a very poor condition. Elsewhere in my constituency, in the Southside, the Odeon on Clerk Street is in a similar position."

Tommy Sheppard MP says Portobello landmark has been 'left to rot'Tommy Sheppard MP says Portobello landmark has been 'left to rot'
Tommy Sheppard MP says Portobello landmark has been 'left to rot'

Campaigners have pushed to bring it back into community use, and now Mr Sheppard has written to the city’s chief planning officer to intervene and request owners to carry out repairs. He’s also calling on the council to investigate what powers they have to find a longer-term use for the vacant cinema.

It comes amid fears that owners could let the listed building deteriorate to such an extent that it must be demolished. Original plans were submitted in 2016 by Edinburgh-based Buckley Building Limited which were to restore the original facade and raze the auditorium at the back of the building.

The developers who are described as local businessmen applied to build 20 high-end flats under plans which met with strong local opposition, despite a pledge to restore key features of its celebrated art deco façade. So far it has been found that the building is not beyond meaningful repair; a key test in assessment of an application for consent to substantially demolish a listed building.

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Mr Sheppard said: “The result here is an eyesore for residents and visitors alike on Bath Street, the main route to Portobello beach, with temporary fencing encroaching right up to the footway, vegetation growing through, and bits of fallen render lying around. The planning committee has repeatedly sent the same message to the developers: the listed building is not beyond repair and this important community landmark should be saved, not torn down to make way for private flats.

The C-listed building has lain vacant for seven yearsThe C-listed building has lain vacant for seven years
The C-listed building has lain vacant for seven years

"Consultants acting on behalf of both the owner and campaign groups agree that urgent repairs are needed. The deterioration is there for all to see and the building could pass the point of no return unless the Council intervenes urgently. That’s what I’m calling on them to do. There’s still hope for the George to be restored and to become a popular local cinema and arts centre.”

During a site inspection of the building, the Scottish Government reporter found it “to be in a liminal and squalid state” and “at risk of further deterioration” but said this doesn’t present a case for demolition. Developers and the city council were contacted for comment.

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