FEARS over vandalism have forced a developer to bow to pressure and scale down its plans for a former cinema.

Residents and traders were angry the Cathedral Group wanted to include a supermarket in its revamp of the Coronet Cinema, Well Hall Road, Eltham.

But Cathedral has now scrapped the proposal because it feared the row would delay the project and make the derelict building an inviting target for vandals.

The Coronet, which is a Grade II Listed building, has remained empty and unused since it closed nearly seven years ago.

Since then the building has fallen into a gradual state of disrepair and last month vandals set fire to it, causing minor damage.

Cathedral's initial proposal had led to Eltham MP Clive Efford successfully lobbying for a public inquiry.

Group development manager Hannah Puttonen says the delay this would have caused could have jeopardised the future state of the building.

She said: "The Coronet has been subject to vandalism recently and we wanted to get things sorted sooner rather than later.

"An inquiry would have been a very lengthy process which we wanted to avoid."

The revised application will see 24 flats built above a row of smaller shops.

Cathedral also hopes to include leisure and community facilities.

The exterior of the building, which was due to be renovated, is now set to remain in its current form.

Mr Efford said: "I welcome the fact Cathedral is finally beginning to listen to the views of the community.

"Everyone knows the Well Hall roundabout, it is a prime location.

"Having a supermarket there would have been unsuitable."

Eltham north Conservative councillor Spencer Drury says he will support the new proposal but criticised Mr Efford's role in Cathedral's U-turn.

He said: "I'm very disappointed the previous plan, which had the ability to regenerate the area, has had to be abandoned because of the protests of some misguided politicians."