A new £10.5million cinema and leisure complex in Bath is an unmistakably modern building but pays homage to the Georgian terraces of Bath limestone that typify the city. It is, after all, the first cinema to have received permission to be built on a world heritage site.

On the other hand, the five-storey high building that pays respect to its surroundings without becoming a pastiche of them, is a considerable improvement on the two-storey 1960s garage it replaces.

The eight-screen Odeon complex with four restaurants and a 2,000m2, basement-level health club complete with swimming pool is near the centre of the city and has been designed to complement the local architecture without resorting to pastiche. Bath architect Aaron Evans describes it as "contemporary Classicism".

The building occupies a site that is a short walk from the Roman baths but was not well served by post-war reconstruction. The cinema is an attempt by the architects and Bristol-based developer Deeley Freed to inject new life into this quarter of the city with civic design that will stand the test of time.

Understandably, the local authority has taken a close interest in the development. Neon signage was ruled out and the planning committee closely scrutinised the design of the five storey-high atrium that appears behind the glass facade of the building.

The dimensions of a typical Georgian terrace are used as the base unit for the development, which is faced in Bath stone from Bath Stone Group and fixed by specialists Future Stone for main contractors Waring.

The upper storeys retreat from the edge of the building to reduce its impact at street level. The result is that although the building is 50m long it manages to sit naturally on its site without looking too imposing.

That is not to say it is not individual. The principal expanse of glass unfurls across the face of the building in a gentle curve that is supposed to be a subtle reference to rolls of uncoiled film.

Aaron Evans says: "We wanted the building to dance. The client gave us a lot of latitude to give the building a bit of life and dynamism. This is dramatically different from most new architecture seen in Bath, but the proportions of the elevation enable it to fit sympathetically into the historic context of the city."

The completed design was complimented by the senior planning officer who commended the quality of the finished building and said that it was particularly satisfying in the light of the fact that it was such an important project which had delivered fully on the expectations at planning application stage.