THE last bingo hall in Harrogate may soon close down after plans were unveiled to turn the Lucky Numbers hall on Skipton Road into a block of flats.
The bingo hall has been a popular venue for more than 45 years after being converted first from a theatre and later into a cinema after the Great War.
But owner Stephen Bartle, from Hay-a-Park, Knaresborough, claims the bingo business is no longer
viable and he has submitted a planning application to demolish the building and build eight one-bedroom apartments.
Developers have told Harrogate Council it is not possible to convert the existing building and, despite marketing the building for almost a year, no other buyers have stepped forward to take on the project.
In their application to the council, developers said: "No operator could be found to continue running the bingo hall in last 11 months. It is not considered to be of heritage or aesthetic value."
The scheme includes providing a lift between all floors and doubling the amount of parking space on site, providing 18 parking spaces distributed between nine garages and nine driveway spaces. The plans will retain the existing first-floor maisonette.
The proposed redevelopment will result in the loss of 13 jobs - four full-time and nine part-time.
Christopher Bateson, who lives in Roker Road next to the bingo hall, said the loss of the bingo hall would be felt by the club members, the majority of who are pensioners and live locally.
He said: "Surely the loss of a significant community facility which enhances cultural diversity in the town generally and the east side of the town in particular is to not to be tolerated?"
The bingo hall originally opened as The Palace in 1914 as a variety theatre and by the end of the second World War was devoted largely to showing films.
In 1947 the cinema was refurbished and became The Ritz. Screenings later included the first showing in Harrogate of Rock Around The Clock, featuring Bill Haley and the Comets when the audience danced in the aisles.
The cinema closed in 1962 with another coup, a double feature showing of The Prisoner in the Iron Mask and Journey to the Seventh Planet.
The Lucky Numbers bingo hall opened two weeks later.
Harrogate Council's planners said they expected the application to come before the planning committee within the next six weeks.
ashley.marshall@ypn.co.uk
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