Odeon Cinema in Oxford city centre to become hotel facility

Oxford City Council has chosen Marick Real Estate as the development partner for 38-40 George Street following what has been described as "competitive" negotiations.      

The cinema, which was refurbished in 2016, is expected to close when the lease runs out in September next year.

In July protesters described the council's redevelopment plans as a "cultural wrecking ball".

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​Marick Real Estate has linked up with the Makespace Oxford organisation for the new cultural community space, alongside an Aparthotel​, operated by Dublin-based operator Staycity Group.

As part of the agreement, the £37m development will also offer apprenticeships for people in Oxford during construction.

Once the hotel opens there will be a commitment to paying all staff the Oxford Living Wage, developers have pledged. 

Susan Brown, leader of Oxford City Council and cabinet member for Inclusive Economy and Partnerships, said: “​​This is a once-in-a-generation redevelopment.

"We are extremely excited to see the building regenerated.​ Oxford City Council has been encouraging more hotels to open in Oxford city centre to help boost the local economy.

"Those staying overnight spend, on average, about 1.5 times more than those on day trips so providing central accommodation is vital.​”  

Simon Walford, Staycity’s development director UK, said Aparthotels were becoming an increasingly popular option for overnight stays and city breaks with both business and leisure travellers.

The council said earlier that the building of an 145-room aparthotel on the upper five floors of the building, with a café and bar on the ground floor, would persuade more tourists to stay overnight in Oxford.

The Odeon Cinema in Magdalen Street has already closed.

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Makespace Oxford has been working to bring empty buildings and offices back into use.

By September last year more than 20 buildings had been reopened as the first stage of a countywide regeneration scheme reviving underused spaces.

A ‘Meanwhile in Oxfordshire’ council-run project was launched in February 2020 with the goal of restoring the vast number of empty and underused units in Oxfordshire’s urban centres, while also supporting organisations in the local community in need of affordable space.

The project was awarded £1.8m of funding from the government’s Getting Building Fund and Makespace Oxford, a organisation specialising in temporary-use spaces, was put in charge of delivering the scheme.

Planned in partnership with Oxford City Council, the first phase saw Makespace Oxford recruit a full team to deliver the programme, secure temporary or ‘meanwhile’ leases on spaces, and deploy the Getting Building Fund funding on properties across Oxfordshire.

Following the launch of the scheme, 24 units were reopened, connecting 37 organisations with affordable space and supporting more than 100 jobs.

Andy Edwards, director at Makespace Oxford, said: “We can’t wait to start working with our neighbours and local residents to co-create a place for the diverse communities of Oxford to come together, celebrate our culture and creativity, and support each other in tackling some of the big challenges of our time.”

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About the author 

Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here. 

He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.

His Trade and Tourism newsletter is released every Saturday morning. 

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