The sale of an historic site in Colchester has been delayed a week after a delay in the serving of legal papers to bidders of the property.

The former site of the Odeon cinema, which has been put up for auction at a price of over £2,000,000, had been due to go under the hammer on Wednesday, April 6.

But auctioneers Dedman Gray have said they were left with no choice but to delay the sale by a week after solicitors struggled to prepare and distribute legal papers to the bidders on time.

Read more:

• The history of Colchester's old Odeon cinema in Crouch Street

• Colchester's former Odeon site up for auction at hefty sum

• Plan to demolish old Colchester Odeon and build flats rejected

The auction will instead take place on Wednesday, April 13 at 2pm, and can be viewed via a live stream on the Dedman Gray website.

The commercial property, which is valued at £2.25m, was built as far back as the 1930s as the town’s cinema, but since closing in 2002 it has remained empty.

The developmental value of the property is estimated at about £12.7m.

Bidders for the property can register as late as the day of the auction itself if they wish.

The current owner of the property, Matt Ellis, refused to comment on the sale of the property when contacted by the Gazette.