A VACANT West Thurrock warehouse could be transformed into a major indoor leisure venue featuring electric drift karting, crazy golf and children's play areas under new plans submitted to Thurrock Council.

Battlegames Limited has lodged an application to change the use of Unit A, 712 London Road, from a storage and distribution warehouse to a mixed-use leisure facility, arguing the proposal would bring a long empty site back into productive use and create significantly more jobs than the current lawful use.

The 4,200sqm building, located within the Lakeside Basin industrial and commercial area, would house a drift karting track, soft play and inflatable zones, a trampoline area, an inflatable obstacle course and a crazy golf course on an existing mezzanine floor.

Plans also include a café, bar, briefing rooms, party room, reception area and accessible entrances.

Around 124 parking spaces and new landscaping are proposed in the existing yard.

According to the submission, the facility would open daily from 9am, with most activities closing at 6pm.

The drift karting attraction would operate until 8pm on weekdays and Sundays and until 10pm on Saturdays.

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The applicant says the phased nature of the activities would prevent peak-time overcrowding and ensure the site "operates comfortably within its limits".

Battlegames, which runs the Bermondsey Bierkeller and BattleKart Sittingbourne, says the venue would be the UK's first dedicated "drift-kart" franchise – a fast growing format across Europe – and would provide a leisure attraction with "no comparable local equivalent".

The company argues the building has remained vacant despite extensive marketing. Commercial agents Branch Associates reported only six viewings since July 2025, all from leisure operators, despite offering rents at well below market levels.

Industrial occupiers were deterred by the unit's size and limited yard space for HGV access, the agents said.

If approved, the scheme would employ six full time staff and up to 100 part time workers across shift patterns.

Battlegames says this represents a substantial increase on the seven full time posts associated with the site's previous warehouse use.

In their application, Battlegames said: "The proposed development is unique, in that it has appeal for people of all ages, while conventional go-karting may appeal more to older users.

"There are also no comparable facilities of this scale. The proposed development would therefore be of considerable benefit to the area in terms of tourism."

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