Gaming arcade plan now lodged for Blackpool casino site

Arcade Club wants to install more than 200 machines into the former Sam Thai casino premises on Bloomfield Road which have been empty since 2015.

The scheme was first revealed last year, but was delayed when the council said the applicant had to apply for full planning permission to use the premises – which it has now done.

Documents accompanying the application say the former casino is the best site for the arcade because of features including its size, parking and disabled access.

The application brief says alternative premises have been considered on the seafront or closer to the town centre, but were “not suitable and did not have the space to house our unique collection of machines.

“Lifts were not wide enough to move items around safely. Doors were not big enough to get items through. The building had too many restraints.”

Retro gaming machines would include the likes of Pac-Man and Space Invaders while modern computer based games such as World of Warcraft, Doom, Minecraft and Fortnite, and board and card games such as Warhammer and Pokemon, would also be available.

No gambling machines are proposed and a separate over-18 gaming room would be provided for older age classification games.

Players pay an admission fee and once inside can play games for free, while there would also be licensed refreshment areas.

The application report adds: “Arcade Club is the largest collection of original arcade machines in the world. All in their original condition with all their original parts.

“You could say we are almost like a fully working, living museum.”

It says the scheme will bring “something unique to Blackpool” while attracting visitors from all over the UK.

It had been hoped to secure a certificate for lawfulness for the project, due to its similarity with the previous use of the building, which would have averted the need for planning permission.

But the council ruled the new use was sufficiently different from the casino to require a planning application to be submitted.

The application will now go before town hall planners at a future date to be decided.