Cinema's air-con plans approved (From Warrington Guardian)

Cinema's air-con plans approved

11:34am Thursday 29th May 2008 in News By Gareth Dunning

CONTROVERSIAL changes to the Odeon cinema in Westbrook have been approved by council planners.

Residents and councillors had complained about the cinema giants already implementing some of the changes without getting planning permission.

And a petition served to Wednesday night's meeting of the development control committee reported that residents were also against the future changes.

The application centres on air conditioning units for the site.

The ones installed 18 years ago when the cinema opened are now out of date and need replacing.

Odeon moved six new ones in without getting planning permission while 11 others are needed to keep the building open. But residents and Great Sankey councillor Keith Gleave say not only are the new ones bigger than the old ones, but they also create more noise.

However the meeting, held in the Town Hall, heard that environmental health officers at the council did not judge the units to be too noisy and said insulation should protect them.

A report said: "While Clr Keith Gleave raises concerns in respect of impact on residential amenity, environmental protection has not raised objections on the grounds of noise or disturbance so that it would be difficult to justify refusal on this basis."

Odeon has agreed to some concessions, though, in the wake of the objections by painting the units a neutral colour and having insulation on them. The application was passed unanimously by councillors.