New late night 'state-of-the-art' entertainment centre to open next month in Milton Keynes

A large new entertainment centre is to open up in the former Staples building at Central Milton Keynes and will be open every day until the early hours.

The Grafton Gate building will primarily house a large 16 lane bowling alley, but it will also offer a bar and a host of alternative “high energy” activities to suit people of all ages.

There will be four themed escape rooms by award-winning Houdini’s, two high-tech karaoke rooms for those looking to unleash their inner popstar, a futuristic laser tag arena, and a state-of-the-art arcade with the latest video games.

The venue, which housed the Willen Hospice Clearance Outlet after Staples closed, will be run by Tenpin, the UK’s leading bowling and entertainment operator.

Work has been in progress for months and it will open on July 29. The company applied for a licence to stay open until 2am each day to host entertainment and sell alcohol from 10.30am to 1.30am. They also applied to open until 4am on New Years Day and for an extra hour in the summer

This prompted objections about potential noise and disruption from people living nearby.

The new venue will be the second bowling alley in CMK, plus there are already plans to open a third in the former Debenhams store in Midsummer shopping centre. This means there will be three major bowling alleys within less than one square mile in Central Milton Keynes, all run by different companies.

The Midsummer Boulevard store was taken over by Next Beauty & Home after Debenhams quit but then Next closed its doors in May. Plans have been announced to transform the ground floor of the three storey building into a large bowling alley, complete with a bar and dining facilities, to be open until late at night.

Sources have revealed that a “very big name” in the fashion world is interested in taking over the remaining two floors of the store.

Meanwhile Tenpin’s new Grafton Gate venue will offer a burger and pizza menu, as well as a cocktail selection at the bar.

It will show BT Sport and Sky Sport and also offer school holiday deals such as one game of bowling and a burger meal for £5.

Amy Garrett, General Manager at Tenpin Milton Keynes, said: “It’s such an exciting time for Tenpin as we prepare to welcome the local community to enjoy our brand-new Tenpin site for the very first time! From high tech bowling and karaoke to escape rooms and laser tag, there won’t be a dull moment at Tenpin. We are so proud to be sharing this innovative experience with Milton Keynes and are looking forward to opening our doors very soon, providing new options and opportunities for people in the area.

“As one of fifty locations, Tenpin Milton Keynes has received over 500 job applicants ahead of opening, bringing a range of exciting new job opportunities.”

Bookings are available from 7th July and can be made here.