A LISTED building is set for a £100,000 makeover.
The work will see a new frontage at the Funny Girls showbar in Dickson Road, while a facelift for the interior is also planned.
Owner Basil Newby is seeking permission for the scheme at the venue – formerly the Odeon Cinema, and a Grade II listed building.
It is proposed to install sleek glass cladding fitted with Funny Girls logos below the canopy at the front of the art deco property, which was built in the late 1930s.
Mr Newby, who owns a number of clubs in the resort, said: “This year is the 18th anniversary of Funny Girls and it is 32 years since I bought the old Flamingo club.
“Since Christmas business has been phenomenal at all our venues so we feel the time is right for some refurbishments at Funny Girls and Flamingo.
“We are planning a new frontage with tinted black glass up to the canopy and the Funny Girls logo.
“Because it is a listed building we have had to consult with English Heritage, as well as planning, and they seem quite happy. We got a civic award when we took over the former Odeon building and restored it to its former glory.
“The original tiles will be retained behind the new frontage so we will not be damaging the original design.
“We are also giving it a facelift inside with repainting, new furniture and a new carpet.”
Mr Newby said the investment amounted to around £100,000.
A planning application seeking permission from the council for the scheme says some of the ground-level tiles are coming away from the building in areas, and are becoming a risk to public safety.
It said: “The proposed replacement covering consists of sheets of toughened safety glass coloured black to match the original vitrolite cladding to the side elevation of the building and featuring integral logo designs.”
The scheme will go before planners at a future date for consideration.
Funny Girls opened in Queen Street before relocating to the Odeon in 2001. Flamingos moved into the venue after the original site on Talbot Road was bought by the council as part of the £220m Central Gateway redevelopment.
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