Transformation planned for derelict bingo hall

1 day ago

Chris YoungLocal Democracy Reporting Service

LDRS A large red‑brick corner building on a quiet street under a grey, overcast sky. The structure has a curved façade at the corner, with horizontal decorative bands and tall windows on the upper level.
On the ground floor, several blue metal roller shutters line the building, suggesting former commercial or storage use. A few cars are parked along the street to the left, and the roads around the building are empty. — The former Buzz Bingo site closed in 2023 and has since been vacant

Plans to redevelop a vacant town centre bingo hall into shops, apartments and a restaurant have been revealed.

The Buzz Bingo building on Alice Street in Keighley has been vacant since it closed in 2023, and since then has suffered an arson attack and has been illegally used as a large-scale cannabis farm.

However, proposals have been submitted by developer Tasawer Hussain to Bradford Council aiming to bring the building back into use.

The plans, which would see the building converted into eight shops, 34 apartments and a restaurant, are expected to be discussed by councillors at a meeting in July.

The building was originally constructed in 1938 as a Moderne-style cinema and was designed by noted architects Verity & Beverley, the Local Democracy Service reports.

The planning application stated there had been little interest in the building since it shut, even from the NHS, which had been offered the building as a site for a new health hub.

Documents to be scrutinised by councillors stated: "Since the building's closure in 2023, and subsequent vacancy from 2024, its condition has significantly deteriorated.

"The site has become a persistent source of environmental degradation and public safety hazards, suffering from repeated anti-social behaviour, vandalism and ongoing fly-tipping in the adjacent alleyway - a problem of which the local council is fully aware."

LDRS The space is wide and mostly empty, with a rough, unfinished floor and scattered debris visible across the ground. In the foreground, there is a low, raised platform faced with stone‑patterned panels.
The ceiling is damaged and partially stripped, with missing panels, exposed wiring, and recessed light fixtures hanging down. Several lights are switched on. Structural columns painted in muted colours run through the space, dividing the room into sections.
Along the back wall, there are multiple doorways and openings, some leading into darker adjoining rooms. Tools, equipment, and construction materials are scattered around. — Plans have been submitted to convert the former bingo hall

According to the application, the lack of occupation and surveillance had created conditions that "invite criminal exploitation", as shown by an arson attack last year and the discovery by police in 2024 of 1,000 cannabis plants inside the building.

"The continued dereliction of the site does not serve the interests of the local community," the documents stated.

"Bringing the property back into active and beneficial use would therefore help to protect the building, improve the appearance and safety of the locality and respond positively to local expectations," the applicant added.

Under the plans, the ground floor of the building would be converted into eight shops.

Its upper floors would be converted into 34 apartments, while a new floor would be built at the top of the former bingo hall which would house a restaurant.

If approved, the development would create 21 town centre jobs, the developer said.

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