Southampton: Plans to demolish Tenpin bowling move a step closer

A year after being given permission to demolish the Tenpin complex in Millbrook, Canada Life has received consent to replace it with a builders' merchants.

Tenpin is a former warehouse that was converted into a 36-lane bowling alley in the early 1990s.

Plans to replace the Tenpin bowling centre with a builders' merchants have been approved by the city council (Image: Newsquest.)

Hundreds of people signed an online petition launched in the summer in a bid to save the popular facility.

Set up by Amanda Baker on Change.org, the petition said Tenpin was the "only place left" in the area for children that was "cheap and affordable".

It added: "To think they want to demolish it just to put a builders' merchant there is shocking.

"If this goes ahead, what have the children got left? There is absolutely nothing for them to do or to have fun with their friends."

Plans to replace the Tenpin bowling alley with a builders' merchant have been given the go-ahead (Image: Newsquest.)

The application came under fire from the City of Southampton Society.

In a letter to the city council, it said: "We share the concerns of local residents about the loss of the Tenpin bowling centre but appreciate that this is a commercial decision.

"Having said that, we have two concerns about the proposed use of the site as the builders' merchants.

"The traffic assessment shows there will be an overall reduction in traffic movements although these will be higher during the morning rush hour and Saturday lunchtime.

"These are the times when the Millbrook Roundabout is already experiencing stress."

The Society said the vehicles currently accessing the bowling centre were cars, whereas those going to and from the builders' merchants would be vans and HGVs, which were more polluting.

But the scheme has been approved by the council, subject to conditions.

What the Tenpin site could look like in the future (Image: Steve Major Ltd)

READ MORE: Shock as residents told that Tenpin bowling in Southampton could be demolished

A planning statement that accompanied the application said Tenpin could no longer trade profitably on the site at Auckland Road.

It added: "The applicant has agreed terms with Travis Perkins to deliver a builders’ merchant on the site.

"It should be noted that the applicant has not forced Tenpin to exit the site. The decision to vacate is mutual between the applicant and Tenpin."

The statement cited several reasons why the bowling centre was no longer viable, saying it was "significantly oversized" and had also been hit by competition from Hollywood Bowl at Westquay.

It added: "The design will represent an improvement on the existing building."