Coventry bingo hall agreement to remain open 24 hours a day

Plans for a Coventry slots and bingo venue to open 24/7 have been submitted to the council. Merkur Slots has applied to extend the hours of operation of its “adult gaming center” in Ball Hill.

The £200,000 slots arcade opened on Walsgrave Road in a bank building last year, creating 10 jobs. But limits on when it could open to the public were a condition for the scheme to get planning approval.

Council officers were concerned that the comings and goings could disturb locals at quieter times of the night, a report at the time said. Concerns about “general noise and disturbance” were also raised by residents, it added.

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The company agreed to limit the location’s hours of operation from 8:00 a.m. to midnight. The restrictions were part of a condition of approval of the plans.

But the company is now seeking retroactive permission to remove the status and keep the location open 24 hours a day. A letter says the offer comes after “correspondence” highlighting a “breach of billboard (sic) condition 5 (opening hours)”.

It said there had been no noise complaints since the center opened last November. The letter referred to evidence since the site was open for 24 hours showing it was “suitable” for the move.

Other locations on the road are open 24 hours a day, he added. The business wants to open later because it is “more consistent with its business model,” the letter said.

Most of his customers after midnight are shift workers who want to relax after busy shifts, he added. The plans have not yet been decided by the council.

The application can be viewed on the council’s planning portal by reference: PL/2024/0000911/RVC.

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