Following a planning application submitted to Southampton City Council in March this year, the green light has been given for a new bingo hall in the city centre.
The application submitted by Mr. P Harding will see the former TSB bank building’s ground floor converted into a bingo hall with the remainder of the ground floor and at least two upper floors converted into apartments. Possible noise complaints by the bingo hall were addressed in a statement by the Council. They pointed toward the noise being contained in just the bingo space only, saying:
“Bingo is played in a fairly silent environment with just the bingo caller announcing numbers through a sound system.
“Regular announcements are made by this particular operator to remind customers that are leaving the building to be respectful of neighbours.”
The prominently placed building at the heart of Southampton’s City centre will get a new lease of life which the City Council. It is hoped by the Council that the new bingo hall will “inject new life” into the High Street.
In redevelopment, no changes will be made to the historic facade. Deemed of architectural merit, the building forms a key part of the High Street. The statement said:
“Care has been taken to utilise existing walls and doorways where possible and the fit-out for tables and seating can be done without detriment to the fabric of the building.”
The application also received support from the City of Southampton Society which considers the location suitable for a bingo hall. They noted the easy transportation links for the new bingo hall. A number of bus stops are just a short walk away and a multi-storey car park is just to the rear of the building.
In a letter to the Council by the Society, they dismissed any concerns over anti-social behaviour too. They stated:
“We are not concerned about noise or anti-social behaviour in view of the likely age of the participants.”
More Bingo Halls to Come?
The opening of a new bingo hall is always a good thing in the eyes of Bingo Daily. Far too often over the last couple of years, the bingo news has been full of stories of bingo halls closing.
Approximately 30-40% of the UK’s bingo halls closed during, or directly after the pandemic. Lockdowns devastated the UK bingo industry and the country saw many favourite bingo halls, once pillars of the community, shut their doors for good.
Now, with the pandemic and lockdowns behind them, the bingo halls that are open are seeing healthy numbers through the doors. Will we ever see the number of bingo halls we’ve seen in the past? probably not. However, there are encouraging signs. Southampton is to get a new bingo hall, Opera Barrow is extending its club and who knows? demand may mean an improved supply and the country gets more new bingo halls for us all to enjoy.
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