Listen to this article:Club 3000 Bingo has received planning permission to build a new bingo hall in Bedminster after councillors voted unanimously in favour of the proposals.
The new venue will be built at 37 Hartcliffe Way, on a vacant industrial site that was previously occupied by the commercial vehicle hire business Vanbase. It will replace Club 3000’s former club at Broadwalk Shopping Centre in Knowle, which closed in late 2025 ahead of the centre’s redevelopment.
Bristol City Council planning officers had recommended that the Club 3000 application be refused over concerns about the loss of land potentially suitable for housing, the venue’s location and possible road safety problems. However, members of Planning Committee A chose to approve the development at their meeting on Wednesday 22 July.
The decision came after several months of uncertainty for Club 3000 and its regular players in Bristol. Council officers argued that the Hartcliffe Way site could be needed for housing under Bristol’s emerging Local Plan. They also said that a leisure development of this size should be in or closer to the city centre rather than in a more isolated location.
Another concern was highway safety. It was questioned whether the proposed parking provision would be enough and officers warned that overspill parking could negatively affect nearby roads. Some objections submitted during the consultation also raised concerns about additional traffic, the size of the development, its effect on neighbouring properties and the presence of gambling machines. Others argued that the land should instead be used to provide new homes.
However, the application attracted a great deal of public support. Almost 500 supporting comments were submitted during the planning process, with residents pointing to the loss of entertainment venues in South Bristol and the social role previously performed by the Broadwalk club.
Local councillors Rob Logan and Lisa Durston also supported the application. They argued before the meeting that bingo had a long history in South Bristol and that players had been waiting for the club to relocate.
Club 3000’s previous Bristol venue had been at the Broadwalk Shopping Centre for around 12 years. Its closure left South Bristol without a major bingo hall and forced regular players to either travel elsewhere or to stop playing altogether.
Several members attended the planning meeting to explain why they wanted the new club to be approved. They spoke about meeting friends at bingo, particularly after retirement or the loss of a partner. They said the venue had provided an important reason to leave the house and socialise.
Club 3000 representative Patrick Brignall told the committee that members had been devastated when the Broadwalk club closed. He explained that most of Bristol’s other bingo halls had already disappeared and that Club 3000 had been the last remaining operator in South Bristol.
The strength of support was acknowledged during the meeting, and Green councillor Toby Wells even made a “full house” reference as he thanked those who had attended in the public gallery. Bristol South MP Karin Smyth had also called on the councillors to support the application. Following the vote, she said: “I am glad to see that councillors have unanimously endorsed a plan that will keep bingo in South Bristol.”
The purpose-built venue will be around 3,000 square metres and have room for up to 1,200 players. Plans also include a bar and food service, along with 144 parking spaces, including spaces for blue badge holders.
Electric vehicle charging points and landscaping are also included in the plans. The building will be located away from the homes closest to the site, and there will be trees planted to screen parts of the car park and reduce the development’s impact on nearby residents.
Vehicles will enter directly from Hartcliffe Way, where the speed limit is 30mph. Club 3000 has also pointed to the public transport available nearby, with a number of bus stops and a railway station all within walking distance of the site, as well as a cycle lane.
As councillors rejected calls for the Club 3000 application to be refused, the company can now complete the remaining paperwork before work begins on the new building.
The operator currently expects the Hartcliffe Way club to open in autumn 2027. Until then, Bristol members can visit Club 3000 venues in Cardiff or Cwmbran, and there is even free transport due to be provided on two nights each week.
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