Palace Bingo hall on the first floor of the shopping centre was an important local community facilty, accommodating around 500 pensioners daily. Southwark's planning committee report acknowledges that the bingo hall is "clearly a popular and well-used facility" and "that a high proportion of elderly people and people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds use the facility, and its loss could result in adverse equality implications." It then goes on to explain that this is 'mitigated' by Delancey's offer to give 'first right of refusal' to a bingo operator for use of some of the new leisure space in its scheme (para 125).
In Palace Bingo's response to this it said: "At the time of publishing the report and your Cabinet meeting there had been no dialogue[with Delancey], and subsequent discussions have not been meaningful or substantive thus far." In March 2019 the Bingo Hall closed and the operator has no plans to return to the redeveloped centre.
Film-maker Jo Pritchard made a documentary about the bingo hall, described as a" loud emotional portrait that says goodbye to the iconic London Palace. Meet the regulars that loved and relied on it, and the owner who couldn’t save it."
The film was listed for a BAFTA award and can be viewed online here: