THE listed facade of one of the oldest cinemas in Scotland is to be pulled down under a council's controversial plans.

South Lanarkshire Council is to bulldoze the B-listed front of the former La Scala cinema in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, to make way for an office development.

The movie theatre was built in the 1920s but was more recently used as a bingo hall before being bought over by the local authority.

Developers want to build a four- storey office block and 37 car parking spaces at the site on Keith Street.

The building's auditorium was recently demolished but it is understood that approval for this was given on condition the facade be retained.

The Cinema Theatres Association, Historic Scotland, The Theatres Trust and and the Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland all objected to the plan.

Opponents say it flouts national planning laws which state that no listed building should be demolished unless all efforts to retain it have failed. They claim other applications were passed over that proposed to incorporate the facade.

However, the council insists the plan does not contravene planning laws and will boost the town's regeneration.

Dr Gordon Barr of the Cinema Theatre Association said: "This decision has been made without taking into account the importance of the building and in direct contradiction of national planning policy.

"This is the last remaining traditional cinema building in Hamilton.

"Several previous planning applications were passed over for the site that do incorporate the historic facade into a new build."

The plan, put forward by Lynnham Properties, was approved at a meeting of South Lanarkshire Council this week.

The firm's managing director James Mortimer also owns private members club 29 in Glasgow's Royal Exchange Square and Hamilton Palace nightclub.

The picture house, which closed in 1960, was designed by architect James McKissack who also created the La Scala in Glasgow's Sauchiehall Street in 1912.