Roxy Ballroom eyes first London venue
Roxy Leisure is looking to open its first Roxy Ballroom in London at 33 St Mary Axe in the City.
A planning application has been submitted to The City of London Corporation for a change of use at the proposed location from Use Class E to Sui Generis.
The site comprises 215,278 sq ft of modern office space over seven stories. Part of the ground floor space contains retail units that are currently occupied by Pret A Manger, TK Maxx, Itsu, and The Slug and Lettuce. The site is located within the St Helen’s Place Conservation Area and is adjacent to the Grade II-listed 38 St Mary Axe.
Roxy Ballroom provides indoor games and entertainment facilities including bowling, pool, shuffleboards, darts, crazy golf, and batting cages. The operator runs 17 venues across the UK in Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Nottingham, Sheffield, Edinburgh, Bristol, Cardiff, and Leicester.
Under the proposals, the ground floor would contain a bar area as customers entered the building, with activities such as darts, basketball hoops, air hockey, and pool further into the building. Activities which require more space, such as pool and crazy pool, bowling lanes, and batting cages would be found on the lower ground floor. A bar serving area as well as karaoke booths would be found on this level.
The application reads: “The proposed sport and entertainment leisure use provides a new and exciting opportunity that seeks to meet the City’s future needs. Overall, the proposed use would significantly contribute to the City’s aspirations and objectives of ‘Destination City’. It will encourage further footfall and visitors to the City, particularly at weekends.”