Just when we thought we we had seen the last of the bingo closures, word has reached the Bingo Daily newsdesk that there may be at least one more Buzz Bingo branch set for the chop.
Disappointed Dabbers at the Buzz Bingo Wallsend venue, were recently informed that a planning application had been submitted to North Tyneside Council to change the use of the site from a bingo hall into a “non-food discount retailer”.
The news has not gone down well with the locals who lost the nearby Buzz Bingo Cramlington during the COVID-19 Cull of 2020 which saw more than two dozen Buzz Bingo halls close their doors permanently.
More recently, the UK’s largest retail bingo operator, closed a number of branches, citing the ‘cost of the living’ crisis.
Now, with an application submitted to transform the bingo hall into a “non-food discount retailer” which would sell “health and beauty products, medicines, baby products, household products, toys and games, pet food, home furnishings and ornaments, seasonal products, ancillary food and drink products and a limited clothing range.” The application also proposes a 138 space car park and two electric vehicle (EV) charging points.
However, the locals are not happy at all and already, nearly 400 objections have been submitted to the North Tyneside Council and a flurry of messages of support are being placed on social media.
Buzz Bingo Wallsend General Manager, Bryan Maughan, said:
“We are overwhelmed by the local support shown to the team at Buzz Bingo Wallsend. We know that for so many of our members, it is more than just a place to play Bingo; it performs an important social function for the local community, particularly for the older residents and women of Wallsend.
“Furthermore, the club supports local employment and contributes to the local economy. We’re grateful to our community who have objected to the proposal to change the use of the site.”
Bingo Daily contacted Buzz Bingo, requesting confirmation that the Buzz Bingo Wallsend branch will, indeed, close and if any other branches are set for closure.
A Buzz Bingo spokesperson issued a statement which focused on the support and not the future of the Wallsend branch.
“We are overwhelmed by the local support shown to the team at Buzz Bingo Wallsend. We know that for so many of our members, it is more than just a place to play Bingo; it performs an important social function for the local community, particularly for the older residents and women of Wallsend. Furthermore, the club supports local employment and contributes to the local economy. We’re grateful to our community who have objected to the proposal to change the use of the site.”
Should the Wallsend branch was to close, Buzz Bingo customers would have to travel to Byker, Metrocentre or South Shields for their nearest Buzz Bingo venue.
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