The future of a historic Scottish cinema is being "thrown into doubt".
An impasse over a large outside screen threatens to derail the project to save the filmhouse.
City of Edinburgh Council planners have recommended refusal, saying "the proposed LED screen would have an adverse impact on the character and setting of the listed building and would fail to preserve the character and appearance of the Conservation Area".
Plans for Edinburgh Filmhouse on Lothian Road include a complete refit and the addition of a fourth screen.
Heritage watchdog the Cockburn Association said that it "has been supportive of the refurbishment of the Filmhouse, which is necessary to ensure the re-opening this iconic cultural asset".
It added: "However, the proposals in this application will undoubtedly have a negative impact on the character and setting of the listed building. They also fail to preserve the character and appearance of the Conservation Area and the surrounding area in general.
"The proposed advertising is excessively prominent and intrusive, which will harm the building’s aesthetic appeal and historical significance."
READ MORE:
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An applicant’s support statement reads: "At the end of the day it becomes a decision of what is best for Edinburgh, approve listed building consent and consent to display an advertisement to ensure a thriving revitalised Filmhouse with an external screen to provide advertising revenue helping to secure the sustainability of the Filmhouse or refuse listed building consent and consent to display an advertisement and throw the future of the Filmhouse into doubt."
An earlier application for the revamp including "internal and external alterations", with an outdoor screen, when it was refused in July.
The independent cinema opened in 1979 in a former Presbyterian Church but closed in 2022 following the collapse of umbrella company Centre for the Moving Image. A campaign to save it was backed by actors including Ewen Bremner and Brian Cox.
Edinburgh Filmhouse awarded £1.5 million funding from the UK Government. The new company called Filmhouse (Edinburgh) Ltd has charitable status.
Documents to go before councillors next week show the screen would measure 9.5m by 5.9m and the metal support structure would measure approximately 12m in height. The supporting documents advise that the screen would be transparent.
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