Rooftop Protest against Bradford Odeon Demolition

Two people have scaled the old Odeon building in Bradford in a bid to halt the demolition of the historic building and engage the community ahead of a protest this Saturday.

This morning at 5am two local people climbed inside the Odeon in a campaign to save the building. A banner reading 'Save the Odeon' was unfurled at 7.30am to engage the local community with the issue of undemocratic descision making within Bradford Council.

More info on the protest planned for Saturday can be found here.

Link to video of banner being unfurled

 

Click on a thumbnail for a slideshow view

 

The images above show the interior of the Odeon in Bradford.

The Odeon building is an intrinsic part of Bradford's heritage yet the council have decided to approve its demolition. This is despite the desolation seen in Bradford city centre, a key example is the Westfield development which has been left as a gaping hole in the heart of the city. The Bradford populous have little faith in the gentrification of the cityscape and came out in force to 'Hug the Odeon' in 2007.

The banner drop today comes only days before a protest in Centenary Square this Saturday at 12noon. Because the council have made their decision on the fate of the Odeon, it seems that only the Secretary of State can halt the demolition. The meeting which made the decision was considered by many to be a farce, the councillors told that they may face legal action from the regional development agency, Yorkshire Forward. It was based on this information that the panel voted to demolish the building, yet Yorkshire Forward then siad that they had no intention of sueing Bradford Council over their decision.

One of the protestors said "They are destroying a really beautiful building when we have no money in the city and it's cheaper to keep the Odeon rather than build something ugly and pointless."

The other said "I'm doing this in solidarity who wants their politicians and local councillors to represent them and not business."

The campaigners hope that it may be complex to remove the banner as health and safety red tape will mean that checks must be carried out before workers can get into the Odeon and onto the roof to take it down. However a van had arrived at 9.30am which may contain equipment to remove the sign.

 

A report on the protest held on Saturday 31st October can be found here