Palace Hotel bingo hall shuts

3:20pm Tuesday 29th July 2008

Comments (1)   Have your say »

MYSTERY surrounds the closure of the popular Deluxe bingo hall on Southend’s Pier Hill.

Baliffs have padlocked the doors and a note warns Stylus Sports, which operates the Deluxe chain, that any attempt to enter the building could lead to a prosecution.

Bingo players have been left in the dark about the closure.

One, who asked not to be named, said: “I went along to play as usual and there was an enormous padlock on the front doors.

“Hundreds of people use it, it is a really popular venue.

“The people who run it are very friendly and it is very family-orientated.

“It is a very, very friendly club. All the staff were lovely.

“I have been coming here a lot. There was no suggestion the club was going to close.”

The Southend club came under the control of Stylus Sports in 2000.

The firm also runs clubs in Folkestone, Eastbourne and Hastings.

It declined to comment on the situation while George and Nicholas solicitors, which is acting on behalf of the landlords, refused a request for an interview.

The bingo hall is on the bottom floor of the Palace Hotel which was bought several years ago for £3.5million by the London based Yianis group, which is owned by Greek Cypriot multi millionaire John Christodolou.

The company has already spent £2.3million on refurbishment work aimed at transforming the building into a four-star, 137-bedroom luxury hotel.

The Yianis Group has recently applied to Southend Council for permission to convert the top two floors above the hotel into 16 luxury apartments rather than a restaurant and nightclub as had been originally proposed.