The owner of the Kassam Stadium has applied to demolish the bingo hall next to the ground and build a science facility.

Firoz Kassam’s company Firoka, which owns Oxford United’s stadium, says life science companies urgently need space and there is an “imbalance between demand and supply”.

The bingo hall has been vacant since 2020 and is part of the Ozone Leisure Park which also includes the Vue cinema and Hollywood Bowl.

As well as the bingo hall, the leisure complex and football stadium the site, owned by Firoka, also has two hotels on it.

The new proposals would see the bingo hall replaced with a five-storey science building totalling 8887sqm of lettable space.

The proposals also include the construction of an internal access road, loading dock and internal and external servicing areas, as well as the installation of cycle storage, with a capacity for 88 bicycles, and the installation of electric vehicle charging points to 40 car parking spaces.

A planning statement said: “The proposal seeks to deliver a high quality, sustainable science building capable of attracting organisations at the forefront of research and development.

“Located immediately adjacent to the world-leading Oxford Science Park, the proposals offer the opportunity to enhance its science offering and contribute to the UK in its journey to becoming a ‘Science Superpower’.”

The Oxford Science Park is to the east of the bingo hall and is a development that supports science and technology companies.

It is hoped the current Oxford Science Park will be expanded, providing new jobs and businesses to the city as well as a new train station.

There are also proposals to build the South Oxford Science Village nearby on land south of Grenoble Road which would include 3,000 new homes.

The land is owned by the Oxford City Council, Magdalen College, Oxford and Thames Water.

The licence agreement at the Kassam Stadium is set to run out in 2026, as the League One club is in talks with Oxfordshire County Council over a proposal to build a new stadium.

Oxford United is looking to build a 16,000-capacity stadium at ‘The Triangle’, south of Kidlington Roundabout.

The county council has set the club seven strategic priorities for the use of the council-owned land, and for United to lease or buy the site, the club’s proposals must address these strategic priorities.

The football club has submitted seven documents to the council, which among other things, assess how the club will address the strategic priorities.

The cabinet’s decision on whether the club can acquire the land will be given at a meeting on September 19.