Town's last bingo hall to become storage units

The building is located on Brigg Road in Scunthorpe

Plans to convert Scunthorpe's last bingo hall into a self-storage unit have been approved on appeal.

North Lincolnshire Council turned down the application for the Buzz Bingo building in April, but that decision has now being reversed by a planning inspector.

The unit off Brigg Road remains in operation, but the site's owners have given the bingo firm notice to leave by no later than 9 April 2026.

A spokesperson for Buzz Bingo confirmed the company is looking for alternative premises, adding it was still "open for business".

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the conversion plan was refused by councillors on the grounds of an unacceptable loss of a community facility.

The inspector was satisfied it could be viewed as a community facility but added "given submitted evidence on commercial viability and no demand for alternative uses, it is viewed as an acceptable loss".

Buzz Bingo had opposed the planning application with the firm and the building's landlord, Zirconia Trading Limited, disputing the viability of the bingo enterprise at the site.

The bingo company's spokesperson said: "Our landlord has received permission for a change of use and such we are seeking a new home in Scunthorpe for the future.

"We are keeping our colleagues informed and have engaged them with the search for a new venue."

The planning inspector acknowledged the change of use will result in job losses at the site.

However, they also point out the council acknowledged the benefit the self-storage proposal can provide to small businesses.

Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.

Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices.