The race is on to build a new venue in Bedminster
Club 3000 operations director Stephen Pidgeon(Image: PAUL GILLIS / Reach PLC)
Bosses at Bristol’s biggest bingo venue have said they are ‘extremely disappointed and saddened’ that they will have to close their doors for the final time next week. Those in charge at Club 3000, in the Broadwalk Shopping Centre, said they had hoped to keep the club open until next spring, and the closure was coming ‘sooner than we had hoped’.
The final day for the Club 3000 venue will be on October 31, and those in need of their bingo fix in South Bristol are being invited to take a free bus service every Saturday to the company’s nearest bingo venue – 45 minutes away in Cwmbran, in South Wales. Structural problems with the Broadwalk Shopping Centre’s car park – which sits directly above part of the bingo venue – mean the club is shutting sooner than bosses had hoped.
Club 3000 has announced that it hopes to have got planning permission and build a brand new, bespoke bingo venue at the bottom of Hartcliffe Way in Bedminster by March 2027 – around 18 months away. The plans for that development were first revealed by Bristol back in July, and Club 3000 bosses are now hoping to fast-track the plans through City Hall and get building as soon as possible.
In a letter to Club 3000 members, boss Stephen Pidgeon and the team said they had wanted to stay open longer into 2026. “We have done everything we could to keep the club open until spring next year but due to our priority of keeping customers and staff safe we must close sooner. Our last day will be Friday 31st October,” the statement said.
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“Although we knew this day would eventually come, we are extremely disappointed and saddened that it is sooner than we had hoped. We are, however, working hard to secure planning permission for our new club on Hartcliffe Way, and we hope that this will be approved soon so we can begin building, with the goal of reopening in March 2027.
“During the time we are closed, you can still enjoy being part of the Club 3000 Bingo family at our nearby clubs in Cardiff and Cwmbran. We will also be running a free bus service every Saturday to our Cwmbran venue, and of course, you can continue to play bingo with us online.
Club 3000 Bingo at Broadwalk Shopping Centre(Image: PAUL GILLIS / Reach PLC)
“We truly appreciate and value every one of you – our loyal customers, many of whom we now consider friends. It has been a joy to be part of the Bristol community for the past 25 years as Riva and then Club 3000.
“While we are devastated for our customers, staff, and everyone in our Club 3000 Bristol family, please rest assured that our intention is to move forward with the new club as quickly as possible so we can welcome you all back home soon,” they added.
The proposed new venue would be located in the first empty industrial space heading south from the Parson Street area of Bedminster onto Hartcliffe Way, on a large site that was previously a van hire business.
Club 3000 revealed artists impressions of the plans for a bespoke bingo venue with car parking on the site, to replace the Broadwalk Shopping Centre venue. The shopping centre is set to be demolished in the next couple of years, once redrawn plans for more than 500 new homes there are passed by council planners.