PLANS to include a 200-seater cinema within a mixed development at the former Chester Odeon have been given a lukewarm welcome by campaigners.

South Yorkshire-based nightclub operator The Brook Group submitted the scheme on Tuesday.

It includes a self-contained single- screen studio cinema on the first floor of the listed building.

This would be accessed via a ground floor entrance and foyer to the rear of the building within a new three-storey extension housing a lift.

The old entrance would be used to access “a piano bar” which extends to the first and second floors and is linked to an entertainment area with a dancefloor overlooked by a balcony. There would also be a café/restaurant on the second floor.

Two large ground-floor retail/leisure units and a small shop fronting Northgate Street complete the vision.

Chester MP Christine Russell wonders why Brook has not communicated its ideas with people keen to retain a cinema, such as the Odeon Action Group, if it is serious.

She is pleased Brook has included a cinema within its plans but concerned it will only be a single-screen venue because of the need to cater for different audiences.

Ms Russell needs reassurances the cinema will be run by “a reputable operator” and is unhappy about the lack of related facilities directly accessible from the cinema, such as a café bar.

City council development co-ordination manager Brian Hughes said the application had come “out of the blue” and many questions needed answering before it was possible to say if the plan had any chance of succeeding.

It was not clear whether Brook would operate the cinema and if it would be viable in the long run without a café bar. Mr Hughes said some may regard the entertainment venue as a nightclub, which is contrary to local policies for this area and may be a concern to the police. Noise from the venue could spill over into the cinema.

The application becomes valid today and will be followed by a three-week consultation period. It is expected to be determined in late April.

Sounding a note of caution, Mr Hughes said: “The application doesn’t appear to include a lot of information that would be expected to support an application of this nature.”

Gary Hunt, managing director of The Brook Group, said the scheme would be operated by Brook. He denied a rumour Brook intended to sell the building.

“They are wrong,” he said.