Fresh plans have been lodged to turn Dundee’s former Toys R Us store into a huge activity centre – including 10-pin bowling.
The site at Kingsway West Retail Park has been vacant since 2018 after the collapse of the retailer.
Plans were put forward in 2020 for an activity park with a bowling alley but those proposals have never progressed beyond getting planning approval.
Now, a fresh application has been lodged for a centre at the site with several planned attractions.
These include:
- A 29-lane bowling alley
- Table tennis and pool table zone with about 10 tables
- Two karaoke rooms
- Escape room complex
- Laser tag arena
- Multi-level soft play zone for kids aged three to 11
- Licensed bar/restaurant
- Games zone including arcade.
If approved, it would be the first bowling alley to operate in Dundee for more than a decade, with people having to travel as far as Dunfermline to take part in the activity.
10-pin bowling operator lined up for Toys R Us site
The development would represent an investment of about £750,000, according to a planning statement from agent Ryden.
The facility would be operated by Tenpin – which runs similar venues across the UK – including in Edinburgh, Glasgow (Braehead) and Falkirk.
Kingsway West SARL, which owns the retail park, expects the development could create up to 30 full-time and part-time jobs if given the go-ahead.
A planning statement from Ryden describes the proposals as a “unique collection of indoor activities and adventure attractions”.
It says: “The reason that the previous permission is not being implemented is that the operator which was, at the time, interested in occupying the unit has not followed through with this interest.
“The owners of the park have therefore had to seek new potential operators. The
proposed operator now is Tenpin, and the range of uses which are provided by this
operator are well established throughout Britain.”
The statement adds: “The proposed change of use, if implemented, would ensure that Kingsway West remains competitive at a time when the industry is facing considerable pressure and retail occupiers for such large units are limited.”
Dundee City Council will consider the proposals in the coming months.
The application comes after it emerged that plans for a 10-pin bowling centre on the site of the former Hilltown Market has now been replaced by proposals for housing.
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