A major scheme to breathe new life into the once popular Balcony nightclub has been described as a potential boost to seafront activities in Ryde.
Ryde Town Council (RTC) has submitted a letter in favour of Isle of Wight Bowling’s application for a change of use of the former Balcony nightclub at the Esplanade Pavilion in Ryde.
The developer plans to bring interactive darts, shuffleboard, mini golf and karaoke pods to the venue, which, as well as the nightclub on the first floor, is home to a bowling alley, cafe and bar.
A bar with food and music entertainment is planned for both the ground and first floor, with associated customer seating areas.
RTC said it raises no objection, subject to the addition of a Sustainable Drainage System to deal with any rainwater run-off from the roof.
Councillor Malcolm Ross, chair of the town council’s planning and environment committee, said:
“I was pleased for the unanimous support for the application for upgrade of the Superbowl Pavilion.
“This important entertainment facility for Ryde will be updated and with the proposal of a lift to the upper floor will become fully accessible.
Article continues below this advertisement “Together with new proposals for the Ryde Arena building and plans well advanced for the enlargement of the Skateboard Park, it’s a great boost to the seafront activities for residents and visitors.”
The applicant’s agent, HLF Planning, said that while the nightclub has previously been a ‘popular element’ of Ryde Superbowl, it is ‘no longer viable’ to continue its use.
A submitted statement said:
“A continued fall in ticket sales and increasing operations costs have created a challenging environment for the nightclub.
“The premises relies strongly on the local community and tourism economy, and the applicant seeks to bring the premises into a new family-friendly era to align with current consumer demands.
“The assortment of proposed uses seeks to encourage an increase in activity while generating further revenue streams.”
County Hall’s public consultation on proposal 26/00722/FUL finishes on 24th July and a decision is due on 17th August.
Nightclubs are a thing of the past, the new venture
sounds profitable.
What do you know about nightclubs?!
They encourage drinking and drug taking and
at the end of the night frolicking on the beach
and anti-social behaviour in the early of the morning.
I know a lot, also I know 20mph saves lives.
The scale of your knowledge is impressive….and I mean that sincerely. I congratulate you wholeheartedly on your truly astonishing ability to have an expert opinion on absolutely everything.
It is genuinely inspiring how every thought you share manages to be so confidently delivered – regardless of whether anyone asked. Your endless supply of wisdom is a gift to us all, and I for one can only hope to one day possess even a fraction of your remarkable talent for being so spectacularly certain about everything.
I don’t piss about I JUST SPEAK THE TRUTH
and sadly numpties don’t like to hear the truth
Bless them all!
God forbid people having fun.
sounds like you do a lot of slow driving watching clubbers at night -dodgy enough is enough
It’s a beautiful, iconic building. By all means find a profitable use for it but please maintain the character.
cover roof with solar panels, maybe a wind turbine or two also..same with the other run down building, The Rink.. and all buildings with flat roofs to help save ground space allocated for panels..