Plans launched to change charity shop into late night ten pin bowling venue in Central Milton Keynes

The new venue would be in the Willen Hospice Clearance outlet in Grafton Gate and it would be part of the national Ten Pin chain.

This week bowling bosses have applied to MK Council’s Licensing Sub-Committee for permission to open from 8am to 2pm every day and serve alcohol until 1.30am.

The premises would be a “family entertainment centre” with an emphasis on bowling, with 16 lanes and a laser tag facility.

But there would also be music and other entertainment, including a gaming arcade.

Three objections have been received from neighbours who are far from bowled over by the plan, saying the venue is inappropriate and there would be too much noise for residents and occupants of a hotel just 100 metres away.

They also fear the site could generate anti-social behaviour late at night.

The large building, once the home of Staples office supplies, has been used temporarily by Willen Hospice to sell used clothes, bric-a-brac and furniture. This has now been replaced by another Willen Hospice outlet, opened earlier this summer in The Point at CMK.

The plan marks a return to Milton Keynes for Ten Pin, who once operated as Mega Bowl at the city centre’s Leisure Plaza but closed down nine years ago.

And it will be competition for Hollywood Bowl, which is just a short distance away at the Xscape building.

The council has received no representations or objections to the licence application from police, trading standards, environmental health, public health, planning or the fire authority.

The committee documents read: “ There is one common theme to the representations … The licensed and opening hours are excessive for the locality.. and noise from entertainment will cause disturbance to residents.”

Council officers say there are no standard hours for the licencing of premises and each case must be decided on its own merits.

"There appears to be no objection in principle to the grant of licence save for the late-night finish,” their report states.

The sub committee has powers to reject the application or modify its terms and conditions.