Bingo hall to be built despite concerns

A new bingo hall will be built in Bristol despite council officers recommending plans for the site be turned down.

In April, it was decided Broadwalk Shopping Centre - where Club 3000 had been based - should be knocked down for 550 new homes. The bingo hall applied to develop a site in Hartcliffe Way, which was approved on Wednesday.

Bristol City Council officers had said the land had been earmarked for housing but councillors said the community needed more social spaces.

"I moved to Bristol, three days later my husband died, and if it wasn't for Club 3000 I don't know where I'd be," 80-year-old Carol McCall told councillors, after travelling 130 miles (209km) to show her support.

"It's a community of friends and a place where everyone can go," she added.

The plans had received broad public backing, with about 500 letters being written in support and a few dozen against.

Sandra Gottshalk described the bingo club as "like a big extended family".

"If an older member doesn't go for a while, other members will check they're OK," she said.

Club 3000 typically has gambling machines inside its bingo halls and the council's public health team raised "significant public health concerns regarding the location of gambling premises in one of the most deprived wards in the city".

Council officers also raised concerns about public transport in the area, suggesting an alternative site in the city centre would be more suitable.

Councillor Rob Logan objected to that argument and said it was "just wrong" to suggest you could have bingo in a middle-class ward but not in a working-class ward.

The council's planning committee said its licensing committee would look at conditions around operating hours and measures to mitigate potential problem gambling inside the bingo hall.

The new venue will have capacity for 1,200 customers and 144 parking spaces. It is due to open in 2027.

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