Empty Keighley bingo hall could become shops, apartments and restaurant
The Buzz Bingo building on Alice Street in Keighley has been vacant since it closed in 2023
Last updated 24th Apr 2026
PLANS to turn a vacant town centre bingo hall into a development of shops, apartments and a restaurant have been revealed.
The Buzz Bingo building on Alice Street in Keighley has been vacant since it closed in 2023, and since then has suffered an arson attack and illegally used as a cannabis farm.
Now a major planning application to bring the building back into use has been submitted to Bradford Council by Tasawer Hussain.
The plans would see the ground floor of the building converted into eight shops.
Upper floors would be converted into 34 apartments, and a new floor would be built at the top of the former bingo hall. This new top floor would house a restaurant.
The building was originally constructed in 1938 as a Moderne-style cinema – designed by the noted architects Verity & Beverley.
The planning application says there has been little interest in the huge building since it shut.
It claims the building had been offered to the NHS as a possible location for a new Keighley town centre health hub – which has been earmarked for a neighbouring site – but that there had been little interest from the public body.
The planning application says: “Since the building’s closure in 2023 and subsequent vacancy from 2024, its condition has significantly deteriorated.
“The site has become a persistent source of environmental degradation and public safety hazards, suffering from repeated anti-social behaviour, vandalism and ongoing fly-tipping in the adjacent alleyway a problem of which the local council is fully aware.
“The planning case is founded on the need to secure a practical, deliverable and beneficial future for a structure that otherwise remains vulnerable to ongoing harm, including the risk of irretrievable loss through further fire damage or structural decay.
“The lack of occupation and absence of natural surveillance have created conditions that invite criminal exploitation. In March 2024, West Yorkshire Police discovered a large-scale cannabis farm inside the building containing approximately 1,000 plants with an estimated street value of over £1m.
“In 2025, the property was subject to an arson attack; West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service attended the scene and arrived in time to prevent major structural damage.
“The continued dereliction of the site does not serve the interests of the local community. Bringing the property back into active and beneficial use would therefore help to protect the building, improve the appearance and safety of the locality, and respond positively to local expectations.”
“The building is too large for most town centre operators. The lack of dedicated on-site parking and formal loading facilities was identified as a barrier to single occupier commercial use.”
“The building was offered for consideration under the NHS Wellbeing Centre scheme. This opportunity was discussed in good faith with Bradford Council and Airedale NHS Trust over a three-month period.
“The owners made genuine and sustained efforts to engage with the relevant bodies.
“However, the proposal was not taken up, and there has been no indication of substantive interest from either the Council or Airedale NHS Trust.”
The application says that if the plans are approved, the development would create 21 town centre jobs.
A decision on the application is expected in July.