Anyone with a scintilla of sentiment will feel sad at the news the Gala Bingo Hall in Portland Road, Hove, is to close.

Indeed many members of the bingo club are organising a petition against the closure.

The building will be better known to many older readers as the well-liked ABC cinema, which drew big crowds for years.

But it has become obvious the building was not attracting enough customers to be viable and that bingo-goers could be catered for elsewhere.

There is a big need for old people's apartments in this part of Hove, which has traditionally been a centre for the elderly.

Plans by a leading provider to build 47 homes there at a cost of £4 million should be welcomed.