Airport Bowl Heathrow

Airport Bowl has been sold to Riva Bowl LLC, who have some incredible plans for the site over the next few years.

New Airport Bowl

The UK’s oldest commercial bowling centre - the Airport Bowl opened in February 1963 - is to be completely rebuilt following its sale by Spirit Group, reports Eric Hayton.

The new owners, Riva Bowl LLP, are expected to complete the purchase on August 15^th 2007 and great plans are in the pipeline or our most famous bowling centre.

Same but Better

At the moment the bowl has 36 lanes, and the good news for bowlers is that the plans for the site include ……. 36 lanes. It is intended that the two-storey car park will be demolished and will include a new build of 24 lanes. The remaining 12 would be located next to them, roughly where the low numbers are now. It should be pointed out that all the new build is subject to the local planning department approval, which of course takes many months.

In the Meantime

The major refurbishment that was scheduled for this year prior to the sale has of course been cancelled. However the new owners are aware that many areas are in need of some refurbishment and have allocated a substantial sum (circa £100,000) to be spent on improving the existing facilities while waiting for planning approval.

The upgrade will assist with improving existing machine reliability and other facilities, including toilets, carpeting, chairs & tables, ceiling as well as the gaming area and exterior.

History

Over the years the Airport has hosted more BTBA National championships than any other and was the host for the European Youth Championships in 1996 as well as having one of the largest league bowling programmes in the country.

Of course it has been the promoter of the long-running London International every August; the £5000 ($10,000) first prize has provide the big push for some famous home-grown bowling careers, Steve Thornton and Paul Moor amongst them, as well as featuring some of our most famous international bowlers on the winners list – Tore Torgersen (Norway), Tim Mack (USA), Mathias Arup (Sweden), Arturo Quintero (Mexico), Ricky Beck (USA) and the first international winner Al Tone (Canada).

This year’s 17^th running of the event will go ahead as scheduled, the finals being on Bank Holiday Monday August 27th.

Iconic building

That the new building will be a stunning icon on the Bath Road will surely not be in doubt as the architect will be Foster Partners. Sir Norman Foster’s company was architect for the famous Swiss Re Tower, nicknamed the Gherkin for its tall, rounded, pickle-like shape. Foster and Partners is also involved in the design for 200 Greenwich Street New York - a 78 storey skyscraper to be known as World Trade Centre 2, on the other side of the street to the original twin towers destroyed on 9/11

The total spend is scheduled to be circa £100 million. Sited within the building it is intended that there will be function room, high payout AWP gaming room and of course a new car park.

The Future

General manager Scott Sidley commented, “For bowlers the league programme will be retained and indeed expansion will be encouraged, with new facilities giving the potential to hold more and bigger international tournaments and championships. We do not expect there to be any closure of the bowl during the building; as one closes the other will open. All in all the future looks great for our bowl, our customers and friends that use it, and our staff.”

Local businessman John Dhanoa, director of Riva Bowl LLP, “I would like to reassure all bowlers, whether league or casual, that the bowl will be around for many years to come. It is a very important focal point for the local community and we will invest substantial monies to ensure that it thrives.”