Thursday October 29th 2026
B&M Stores on Musselburgh High Street to be turned into a snooker hall
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Marie Sharp
A family friendly snooker hall and sports venue in Musselburgh has been welcomed by police and licensing bosses as a first for East Lothian.
Battista Property Ltd, which runs the Ball Room at Morningside and Meadowbank, in Edinburgh, has been granted a licence to operate their latest venue in the empty B&M store on the High Street.
A meeting of East Lothian Licensing Board heard the Edinburgh family who run the venues, with others around the country, aimed to create a place where young and old can come and spend time.
And they said their strict policies have ensured they can operate safe places for all ages to attend with clear licensed areas, child friendly spaces and staff trained to monitor activities.
The application received no objections and 40 notices of support.
Agent for the applicants Alistair McDonald told the board that a number of customers who used their Meadowbank venue came from East Lothian and were keen to have something closer to home.
And he said he had made sure his clients were aware of antisocial behaviour issues in Musselburgh High Street which had come up at other recent applications but believed their venue would improve the issues.
In a supporting statement to the board they said: “This is an exciting new venture for East Lothian and Musselburgh in particular.
“Our clients are aware of the issues regarding youth behaviour in this area, but they feel that their offering would contribute towards a reduction in that, rather than an increase. They feel that this is somewhere that the youngsters will want to come and will not want to spoil it for themselves when it will be made very clear that they will be barred if they step out of line.
“Our clients appreciate that they will be closely monitored but are happy to accept that and will work with the police and the licensing officers, not just in dealing with issues in their club, but also assisting with information in the High Street in general, with CCTV, and with reporting any suspicious circumstances, including drug dealing etc to the police..”
The new venue, which will also offer bowling and darts, indoor mini golf, sports coverage on televisions, and a full meals menu for families, also includes a separate servery for youngsters away from the bar where they can buy soft drinks and snacks.
The board heard that the operator does not use door staff as they believe it creates a ‘negative impact’ on the venue but measures were in place through the venue with staff to ensure rules are followed.
And its Licensing Standards Officer (LSO) said she had visited the firm’s Meadowbank venue ahead of the hearing and been impressed with the way it operated.
She told the board: “I am really pleased there will be extensive CCTV and this will be accessible to police and the LSO. This is something that is new to East Lothian, there is potential and I hope it will be very successful.”
Councillors unanimously approved the licence for the new Ball Room wishing the operators well in the venture which is aiming to open in March next year.
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