Edinburgh council approves state-of-the-art virtual reality gaming arena
VR games coming to Dalry after council approves change of use plans
An Edinburgh office block is set to be transformed into a virtual reality entertainment centre after change-of-use plans were approved by the city council.
AW Edinburgh (HW Entertainment) has been granted permission to turn a single-storey building at 11 Washington Lane, Dalry, into a free-roam multiplayer VR attraction.
Plans for the office off Dalry Road, situated behind the Kebabish restaurant, include free-roam multiplayer virtual reality entertainment using state-of-the-art equipment, allowing customers to play 13 different games.
The experience is designed to be fully immersive, with free movement within a gaming arena to allow participants to experience different environments and sensations.
Games will include competitive and team-building formats and can be played by individuals or groups of between two and 20 participants simultaneously.
Each booking will last one hour, comprising a 10-minute introduction and set-up period, 45 minutes of game play and a five-minute ‘close-out’. Games are suitable for ages seven and over.
In the planning documents, the applicant said: “The proposal will attract visitors throughout the day and early evening, complementing the existing mix of activities in Dalry and contributing to the local vitality of the area.”
Approving the plans on September 16, the council’s chief planning officer David Givan said: “The proposals do not demonstrate the town centre first approach for its intended use. However, the proposal is directly adjacent to Georgie/Dalry town centre and is for a change of use of an existing office building within a mix use area with public transport nearby.
“This is a significant material consideration to justify an exception as it would be unreasonable/unnecessary to request alternative options to be explored for its intended use and scale as planning conditions are recommended to restrict/control its use.
“Subject to conditions to restrict the proposed Class 11 use to a virtual reality entertainment centre only and implementation of noise control measures to safeguard nearby amenity, the proposal would comply with the policies in the Local Development Plan and National Planning Framework 4.”
The applicant now has three years to begin work to facilitate the change of use at the Dalry office block, with a condition added that the premises shall be restricted to a virtual reality entertainment centre only.
And, prior to the initiation of the premises as a virtual reality entertainment centre, noise control measures shall be installed and implemented in full.
The new VR centre will operate five days per week, Wednesday and Thursday 12pm-10pm, and Friday, Saturday and Sunday 10am-10pm, charging £25 per person Wednesday to Thursday and £30 Friday to Sunday, via an online booking system.
The applicant revealed that the 13 games on offer could be added to with future games currently in development, adding: “This evolving range enables AW Edinburgh to offer both access to current popular games, which users may have played previously and want to try again, and completely new games reflecting the latest trends and development in technology and graphics.”
This application received no public comments on the council’s online planning portal.
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