THE two distinctive domes on top of Bradford's former Odeon building are set to get a shiny new look.

It's part of the renovation works intensifying on-site as a deadline fast approaches to get a £1 million repairs grant spent.

The landmark's two green domes will be changing colour in a few weeks' time, when specialist contractors will be stripping the painted copper off and replacing it with new unpainted copper.

Project manager Andy Grant said it would soon bring a new look to "part of the Bradford skyline".

The Telegraph & Argus was yesterday given exclusive access to the building to see the progress being made.

Bradford Council is carrying out the urgent repairs before it hands over the Art Deco landmark to the Bradford Live team - which has ambitious plans to transform it back into a live music venue.

The Council, which owns the building, bought it from the Homes and Communities Agency for a peppercorn price and at the same time was handed the £1.32 million repairs grant.

But there is only two months remaining to spend the HCA cash, as the grant expires at the end of March.

Mr Grant said works to the dome would start next month.

He said: "The copper on the domes is leaking like mad and letting a lot of water into the building. We are going to strip off and re-cover the domes with new copper."

This shiny new copper is expected to slowly turn green again over about a decade, as the metal ages.

Before this work takes place, contractors will be replacing the rusting steel ring-beams which hold them up, in a painstaking operation.

Major repairs are also under way along an ageing culvert for the Bradford Beck, which runs behind the building.

But these two projects combined have come in £200,000 under budget, meaning the team can take on extra work.

This means hidden treasures from the auditorium's past are being uncovered as false walls and ceilings are ripped down.

In particular, a decorative balcony has been revealed for the first time in decades, now the ceiling to the old bingo hall has started to come down.

The team is also looking to buy the scaffolding around the building, which is being rented and has used up more than £30,000 of the grant monies so far.

And any cash left over will be spent on a new security system for the building to deter intruders and thieves.

Campaigner Mark Nicholson, of the Bradford Odeon Rescue Group (BORG), which has been fighting to save the building for more than a decade, said it was "heartening" to see the amount of work going on.

He said: "In a lot of ways it is exciting because it demonstrates the commitment to the building having a future.

"It just goes to show how committed Bradford Council and Bradford Live are, because there is a lot of effort going in to improving the appearance of the building and a lot of the structural problems."

But Mr Nicholson said some BORG members had reservations about the decision to replace the copper on the domes, fearing the new metal may not look in keeping with the old building.

He said "The Odeon domes are its key visual feature. The last thing anybody wants is for the domes to look artificial, basically, so that is going to be interesting to see.

"Apparently Bradford Live and the Council between them are confident they are going to get a good job done."

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