A BID to turn a former building society into an amusement arcade looks set to be given the thumbs-up.

Ablethird, which runs amusement arcades across the country, has applied to transform Woolwich House, the former home of Woolwich Building Society in Culver Street West, into an adult gaming centre.

Colchester Council's planning committee, which meets tomorrow, is to be recommended by officers to approve the bid, subject to conditions.

In its application, Ablethird stated arcades elsewhere were mainly used by women during their shopping trips, while under 18s would be banned from entering.

The centres can have fruit machines, for anyone aged 18 and over, to put bets of up to £1, with a jackpot of £500 on some machines.

Similar centres have been met by opposition in other towns and cities, but no-one registered any opposition to this scheme.

A report about the bid suggests an arcade there would be acceptable and would not detract from the look of the conservation area as long as a "sympathetically-designed shop front" was built.

If the application is successful, the arcade can stay open from 9am to 11pm Monday to Saturday, and from 11am to 6pm on Sundays.