With the destruction of Doncaster’s ODEON (a name derived from the motto, “Oscar Deutsch Entertains Our Nation”, ) the process of turning Doncaster into just another ‘clone town‘ is pretty much complete. All traces of originality, independence and community have been pushed to the margins (Copley Road). We may have a Starbucks (and umpteen other overpriced caffeine outlets), but we haven’t had an independent bookshop for over 20 years and creative suppliers (art shops, photographic suppliers, etc.) have slowly dwindled away.

The local press has covered the loss of the Odeon in their usual half-arsed, lighthearted way, ignoring the fact that the people of Doncaster have been robbed of yet another potential community resource (’space’ is one of the most important assets a community can possess after ‘people’).

The developer, Lazarus Properties, is building a £10 million leisure complex on the site which includes a casino, gym, shops and offices (though they reassuringly intend to keep the frieze on the front of the building – which kinda sums up consumer capitalism – all facade and no soul!). If that sounds familiar it’s because a similar project has just been completed opposite St George’s Minster only the ‘casino’ is a ‘hotel’. The fact that the slick-pricks at Lazarus show very little intuition and absolutely no imagination tells us a lot about their true motivations.

{notes}
 http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odeon_Cinemas
 http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=40047
 http://www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/free/Odeon39s-final-hurrah-as-building.5815269.jp