IT is the end of an era as workmen move in to demolish the former Odeon cinema building in Bolton town centre.

Developer Woodthorpe Homes wants to turn the venue -which also hosted pop music acts such as Roy Orbison, Chuck Berry and the Bee Gees - into an 11-storey hotel, residential and retail complex.

The Manchester-based firm submitted initial plans to Bolton Council on Monday and demolition work has already begun on the Art Deco building.

The scheme includes 50 luxury apartments, offices, basement parking for 86 cars and offices and shops on the ground floor. The hotel section would occupy up to the eighth floor.

Cllr Ebrahim Adia, Bolton Council's executive member for development, said: "This scheme is part of the wider cultural and innovation quarter for the town centre.

"Hopefully, it would fit in quite nicely with the concept of a culture and leisure area.

"I've seen the drawings and they look very impressive."

More than 2,600 people packed the Odeon Theatre on its first night - August 21, 1937 - when the First Battalion of the Royal Scots struck up the opening music.

The audience was treated to the Gaumont British Sound News, a cartoon, and three films, including the feature film, Dark Journey, starring Conrad Veidt and Vivien Leigh.

For the next 45 years, it was one of Bolton's best-loved venues and hosted 1960s acts such as Gerry and the Pacemakers, The Searchers, Dusty Springfield and Freddie and the Dreamers. Following interior rebuilding, its three screens showed thousands of films before it closed in January, 1983, when it was turned into a bingo hall amid protests from cinemagoers.

After a £370,000 refit, it was opened by Paul Shane, star of the BBC comedy series, Hi-De-Hi, in February, 1983.

In later years, the old cinema was used by Mecca until it moved its bingo hall operation to the current site off Moor Lane in November, 2004.