Listen to this article:There is sad news for bingo players in the town of Worthing, West Sussex, as the Buzz Bingo club on Rowlands Road is set to close its doors for good on 25 January.
In July last year, it was revealed that Cayuga Developments had plans to knock down the building and redevelop it with 47 flats, six houses, and commercial space. At the time, when the company acquired the freehold for the site, Cayuga’s director, Matt Hoad, described the building as being in “poor condition” and said that keeping it would be “too difficult”.
Cayuga then drew up redevelopment plans and submitted them to Worthing Borough Council in October 2024. Buzz Bingo, the building’s tenant, was under a lease until 2039, but despite undergoing a refurbishment last year and its history as a bingo venue dating back to the 1970s, it has now been decided that the club will shut its doors for the last time later this month.
Speaking about the closure, Stevie Shaves, the chief operating officer of Buzz Bingo, said:
“After being informed by our landlord of their plans to redevelop the Worthing club site into apartments and houses, we have made the difficult decision to permanently close our doors.
“Our last day of operation will be Saturday, January 25, 2025, when we will host a goodbye session of bingo in the afternoon and evening.
“We want to reiterate that this closure is not a reflection of the hard work and dedication of our team. These decisions are never easy, and we want to ensure our colleagues are supported during this transition. We will actively explore redeployment options, offering transfers to other clubs whenever possible, and providing ongoing support throughout the process.
“We thank our Worthing colleagues for their contribution over the years and we also deeply appreciate our customers’ loyalty and the memories shared at the club.
“We hope to see our Worthing bingo community in our Brighton club which welcomes everyone to come and experience the buzz of bingo. Buzz Bingo remains committed to bringing people together through our other UK clubs and online platform.”
Unfortunately for bingo players in Worthing, there are no other permanent bingo halls in the area. However, there are frequent bingo events, such as at Slug and Lettuce, so fans of the game will not be left completely destitute. Also, there is always the option available to play on the best online bingo sites.
Last summer, Cayuga held a public exhibition to hear locals’ thoughts about the redevelopment. Speaking at the event, Hoad explained that they wish to redevelop the entire site.
The plans include demolishing the Buzz Bingo club and the whole of the existing building, but design boards displayed at the exhibition show that the development would keep the basic character of the existing façade onto Rowlands Road, with the addition of some extra windows and a top-floor extension.
On the ground floor, two retail spaces with shop fronts are to be created while the height and scale of the back section of the existing building will be reduced. The upper floors are set to contain residential accommodation, and a row of townhouses with patio gardens and parking space is to be constructed on the land at the back.
According to the developer, the design will also incorporate soft landscaping and the plans have a very low-energy design.
Cayuga has said that the building, which is now “shabby and unattractive”, presents a chance to help address the town’s housing needs.
At last year’s exhibition, planning boards explained that the number of people playing bingo has dropped significantly and that only around 10% of the entire building is being used. They argued that “No viable use has been found to make effective use of the whole building for over 50 years.”
The planning boards went on to explain that the roof contains asbestos and that converting it would be an expensive task.
However, as the site is in a “sustainable location” and is near amenities and public transport in a desirable part of the town, there is an opportunity to “address local housing needs retaining retail at ground level and transforming the rest of the site into characterful residential accommodation whilst also improving its appearance.”
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