West Midlands Venue Appeals Against Outdoor Bingo Ban

Gala Bingo submits appeal after plans for outdoor shelter are rejected by council.

A bingo club in Wednesbury has lodged an appeal after the local council rejected its plans to erect an outdoor shelter.

Bosses at the Gala Bingo venue had hoped to create an outdoor gaming area where smoking customers could play the game, but Walsall Council turned down the proposal, the Express & Star reports.

The local authority claimed that flimsy materials and close proximity to a parking area meant that plans for the shelter would have to be revised.

Gala Bingo is now launching an appeal to planning officials, claiming that it needs to build the outdoor gaming area to survive.

Many bingo halls have struggled to cope with drastically falling attendance levels in the wake of the public smoking ban and the rise of online-based alternatives to the game.

According to the newspaper, other bingo clubs in the Black Country are also hoping to create outdoor areas, with the Gala Bingo venue in Walsall currently planning a similar development.

Gala operates more than 175 bingo clubs and employs over 17,000 people throughout the UK.