Casino wins approval to open at popular Northampton bingo club

The home of Northampton's bingo scene has been given the green-light to open a casino at its establishment.

Beacon Bingo, in Weedon Road, will become a bingo club with casino after Northampton Borough Council's planning committee gave the go-ahead to the plans on Tuesday, February 9.

According to planning documents, the casino will be operated by Merkur Casino and will have its main entrance adjacent to Beacon Bingo facing Weedon Road.

The casino will be allowed to operate 24/7 for 364 days a year, excluding Christmas Day, but its actual opening hours will be determined by demand in the first few months of opening, according to Merkur.

The facility will include 20 slot machines, around 26 electronic roulette terminals, approximately seven gaming tables, a sports bar, and substantial food will be available from the kitchen which is shared with the bingo club.

The planning documents also outline Merkur's "strategic vision" for the gambling facility.

The documents read: "The strategic vision for Merkur Casino Northampton seeks to promote and deliver the following:

"Offer a new and exciting casino venue, in partnership with the bingo club next door, so customers can mix and match their leisure preferences all under one roof.

"Offer a new employment opportunity for 50 or more team members, in a desperately difficult leisure employment market.

"Deliver much needed investment to the Weedon Road property.

"Deliver a vibrant, welcoming atmosphere in keeping with a relatively small casino venue.

"Operate in a safer environment, in terms of customer behaviour and safer gambling, by virtue of a smaller floor and in all likelihood a higher management to customer ratio than many other UK casinos."

A Northampton Borough Council spokesman said in the planning documents: "The site has more than ample car parking to incorporate the parking requirements of the casino use at the site.

"The application proposals would result in a complementary mixed commercial leisure use of these existing commercial leisure premises and this would improve the attractiveness of this local centre and would help to diversify its evening economy and leisure function; ensuring that this area remains vibrant, attractive and accessible to all throughout the day and evening."

The Beacon Bingo site was originally constructed for use as a supermarket but was subsequently altered to a ten-pin bowling centre, before being converted to a bingo club. It was granted planning permission to operate as a bingo club in 1990.