OKEHAMPTON?S 1930s art-deco cinema in St James Street could be demolished to make way for 15 town centre flats, under plans unveiled this week. The cinema?s fate has been uncertain for the last eight months after a confidential deal was struck to sell the property a week before it was due to be sold at auction to the highest bidder. Two full planning applications for redevelopment of the site were lodged earlier this month with West Devon Borough Council ? firstly, to demolish the Carlton cinema to make way for a three-storey building containing 15 flats as well as a further application because the site falls within a conservation area. The Tavistock-based applicants, Messrs Grey Brothers, have engaged Tavistock chartered architect Mike Hooper to draw up plans for the new housing development. The three-storey building would reach a height of eleven metres and would contain 15 two-bedroom flats with associated car parking spaces. The new design is marginally higher than the top of the existing building. The cinema, which was built in 1937 by William Pope, has been closed for more than a year and became available for sale through estate agents Kivells following the sudden illness of its long-standing proprietor. A number of concerned local residents formed a group earlier this year which looked at the possibility of bidding for the cinema itself to retain a community facility for showing films. Mayor of Okehampton Cllr Tony Leech said: ?What a shame we as a community did not have a chance to put the money together and see what might have happened at auction.? Cllr Leech told members of Okehampton Town Council?s planning committee, meeting on Monday that the proposal was such a major one for the town that a separate meeting was needed to discuss it in greater depth before making comments on the plans to the borough council. Earlier that evening, several councillors had expressed their frustration that they felt their views as statutory consultees were often disregarded by the borough council?s planning committee and at the lack of detail provided by many developers. Cllr Jo Slater said with the amount of housing planned for Okehampton, the town council needed to be able to exert its influence to safeguard the area from unsympathetic development. ?We are here to represent the town and as far as we possibly can, to ensure what goes up is satisfactory to the town,? she said. Cllr Leech added: ?It is still galling that we can discuss it and ask ourselves if we think this is right for the town, and still be overlooked by West Devon.?