“Absurd” plans to turn a historic Newcastle bowling alley into flats have been thrown out.
City council officials have rejected proposals that could have seen the well-known former MFA Bowl on Westgate Road partly demolished and redeveloped into housing. The plans had sparked concern about the loss of one of the West End’s “finest” pieces of architecture, with the building’s rich history dating back to 1911 – when it opened as the Brighton Electric Theatre.
Newcastle City Council has now refused planning permission for the controversial scheme, which would have converted the site into a 68-bedroom house in multiple occupation (HMO) and seven apartments. The local authority called Capital Properties Solutions’ application “bland and unimaginative”, while Northumbria Police had warned that it had “serious concerns” and was “uncomfortable with the scale of the development”.
