The Blackpool Gazette reported that residents are outraged as a historic bingo club is to be demolished. Workman have moved into to start ripping down the 1934 Art Deco building, known as Orion Bingo Hall on Crescent Street in Cleveleys.
It is claimed that admirers of the old building have called for it to be listed and protected. However Wyre Council planning committe have given the supermarket chain Aldi permission to knock the building down and build a new 15,000sq ft retail unitl.

Not everyone wants the building the building to be preserved and thre a number of conflicting views.

Traders are dissappointed with the decision and think the building, which was originally an Odeon Cinema would have been more useful to the town centre as a multi-storey car park. No doubt with extra park and less retail competition their own businesses would have been better off.

Chairman of Cleveleys Traders Association, Martin Hunns added: "The traders are on a downer, we need a car park in Cleveleys not another supermarket.

"There's already an Aldi two minutes away in Fleetwood. It's very frustrating.

"Cleveleys is desperate for a car park and that would have been an ideal site but Wyre Council said it was too dear to buy.

"We have gone for years about parking in Cleveleys. All this money has been spent on this beautiful promenade but people are being turned away because there is nowhere to park."

A local resident is pleased with the decision and neither wants the building to be preserved or sees the need of a car park: "The demolition has not outraged residents and traders only SOME of them. The whole block is an eyesore and its great that it will be demolished. It is a pity the old post office counter cannot go along with it.

On the parking front, there is plenty of space around the streets of Cleveleys (I have lived here over 25 years and have never had a problem parking - and I am neither a user nor abuser of the blue badge scheme). IMHO the largest amount of parking space is taken up by the car showroom on Bispham Road near to Victoria Road. Because there are very little parking restrictions on some of the surrounding streets the garage owner parks his vehicles for sale there for days and weeks on end. Bring in one hour parking throughout the area during daytime and there would be many more places available."

The council however have no plans to invest in car parking in the local area.

Leader of Wyre Council, Peter Gibson, commented: "Our planning committee can only look at what is in front of them.

"I'm sure somebody would have had something to say if we had bought the land with council tax money, we have to be very careful.

"Cleveleys is a booming town and that brings its own issues with car parking.

"We have no plans at the moment to change car parking in Cleveleys but it's something that we are always willing to look at."