Residents of Bowthorpe have nominated Namco Funscape as an asset of community value in a bid to stop the indoor attraction being demolished to make way for a Lidl supermarket.
Locals submitted the nomination to Norwich City Council on 27 July, and if approved it would give the community the right to bid for the site if it was put up for sale.
“A decision is expected to be made towards the end of September, eight weeks after the nomination was received,” reported the Eastern Daily Press. “It comes after the planning inspectorate overturned the council’s decision to refuse Lidl’s supermarket plans for the Barnard Road site.”
“An appeal against City Hall’s rejection of the proposals was lodged in November by Honeyview Investments Ltd. The building of the Lidl supermarket would result in Namco Funscape, which has been there for more than 30 years, being demolished.”
Namco Funscape previously said the company’s lease on the building was due to end in 2027, and the decision on its future was up to the landlord.
“We anticipate continuing to trade under the lease, which does not expire until June 2027,” said director for Bandai Namco Amusements Europe Ltd, Philip Millward.
Originally published on Coinslot on September 7, 2026. Republished with permission.