The Opera Bingo site which closed in 2004 may be knocked down. The site, built in the late 1800s, currently houses a number of shops and had previously also been a cinema and bingo club.
Graves (Cumberland) Ltd, has applied for planning permission to demolish the former bingo hall and wants to build apartments and shops on the site of the Opera House, on Tiffen Lane.

The Opera House originally opened as the Queen’s Jubilee Hall and Opera House and had a capacity of more than 1,300 people. The small theatre with just two balconies was burnt down in 1927. It was rebuilt as a cinetheatre, with just one balcony remaining from the fire.

In 1958 with a lack of demand for cinemas, Robert Graves changed the building into a bingo hall. In 2004 Opera Bingo moved to a different premises on Ladies Walk, underneath the Wilkinson store, leaving the building for the main part empty.

Managing director Vince Hughes said that two town centre shops in that block, Supanews and the British Heart Foundation, could be affected by the move, but insisted nothing was set in stone.

He said: “The building is in a poor state of repair and we need to bring it down.

“We have plans to create more apartments in its place and the outline planning permission also states that shops could be created.

“There is land at the back of the building that we would like to make use of and to get to it we need to start again.

“The old Burton shop is likely to go but we haven’t decided the future of the other two shops.

“We know that people are making a living out of those shops so we will be consulting them about the move.”

The planning application, lodged with Allerdale council, is for 15 apartments.

People can submit their views about the plans to Allerdale council until March 26.

Workington and District Civic Trust was due to hold a meeting this week to discuss the plans.