DEVELOPERS have ann-ounced the opening date for the new cinema at Dorchester ’s Brewery Square , despite part of the £100million scheme facing delays.

Weather has meant the main square will now open next March, having originally been pencilled in for an Autumn opening.

However, the new Odeon Cinema and Carluccio’s Italian restaurant in Dray Horse Yard off Weymouth Avenue will open on October 26.

Andrew Wadsworth, director of Water-house which is developing the former brewery site in partnership with Resolution Property, explained that the poor weather over the summer months had probably caused around a month of delay to the scheme.

That meant the square would be unable to open long before Christmas and, with retailers and restaurant operators not in favour of a December, Jan-uary or Feb-ruary opening, it is now scheduled to open on March 15.

He said: “The weather caused a slight delay which put us in a season where it would not be possible to open so we decided to move the main square opening into the spring, two weeks before Easter on March 15.

“In the meantime the Odeon cinema, Carluccio’s and other restaurants are going to be opening between now and Christmas.”

The cinema will open with a screening of the new James Bond film Skyfall, with Carluccio’s opening the same night.

Pizza Express is also due to open in Dray Horse Yard shortly afterwards, with two further restaurants – whose operators are still to be confirmed – to follow before Christmas.

Work on the latest phase of Brewery Square began early last year and when completed it will boast 66 apartments, 16 shops, seven restaurants, the cinema, a hotel, close-care apartments and the main square itself featuring a multi-jet fountain.

A host of big name chains have been announced for the scheme with fashion retailer Phase Eight the latest name to sign up, joining firms such as Hobbs, Wagamama, Cafe Rouge, Zizzi and Premier Inn.

The construction work undertaken by contractors Leadbitter has seen up to 250 people employed on the site at any one time and Mr Wadsworth said there were no signs of the work slowing down.

He said: “You look at the amount of work going on at the site and the amount of stuff happing, you can see the place is absolutely humming.”