Residents of a North London neighbourhood are furious over what appears to be an ‘incremental planning tactic’ to convert a former high street bank into ‘another gambling den’.
The site was only approved to become a bingo hall earlier this year but, as was widely predicted at the time, the developers have already applied to expand it into an adult gaming centre.
In February, Brent Council approved a plan by Star Commercial Property Ltd to turn the former Lloyds bank, located at the junction of Walm Lane and High Road in Willesden, into a bingo hall. However, just two months after getting the approval, the same company has now made a new application for the premises to widen its remit to an ‘adult gaming centre’ – with no immediately noticeable changes to the layout plans.
The move has been met with widespread condemnation from local residents. In an objection submitted against the application, one resident called the plan ‘completely outrageous’. They added: “Permission has already been granted for a ‘bingo hall’ despite overwhelming local opposition […]. Now the entity behind the application is taking another incremental planning step for a full-blown adult gaming centre. No one who lives in this area wants this.”
Another added: “Gambling ‘dens’ are often a sign of an area in decline and one could argue they exploit local inhabitants who are at the lower end of the income strata. As a local resident and a daily shopper along Walm Lane and Willesden High Street I do not want to see any further gambling premises.”
Others took to neighbourhood app Next Door to voice their concerns, with the plan being called ‘a disgrace’ and ‘absolutely shameful’. The plan to eventually shift the premises to an adult gaming centre had been predicted by residents at the time of the initial application – in a move another contributor called a ‘classic planning tactic of taking incremental steps in making controversial applications’.
The Gambling Act 2005 requires councils to approve licences for gambling premises unless they do not meet the licensing objectives. Bingo halls specifically are not included in the section of local planning policy that seeks to prevent the over-concentration of potentially harmful premises – including betting shops, adult gaming centres, and pawnbrokers.
Brent Council has publicly stated the ‘detrimental impact’ the number of gambling sites is having. At 81 licensed premises, the borough has the second-highest concentration of gambling establishments in London. In Willesden alone, there are already a whole raft of them, including nine bookies, an existing bingo hall, and other adult gaming centres all located within a one-mile stretch.
Council Leader, Cllr Muhammed Butt, wants local authorities to have more power to reject licence applications that it feels ‘threatens the community’s welfare and safety’ but until then the council has little power to stop them. Whilst there is a cap on the number of bookmakers that can be opened in a particular area, there is no such limit on bingo halls and adult gaming centres – which provides a possible loophole for such companies.
A cross-party group of councils, led by Cllr Butt, wrote to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport earlier this month urging the Government to give them more power to ‘beat the bookies’, claiming they are ‘effectively powerless’ to stop new sites springing up.
The harmful consequences of gambling have been linked to a range of social and public health issues, including suicide, depression, anxiety, and financial ruin. A study from Bristol University found that betting shops were ten times more likely to be found in deprived towns, like Willesden.
Grant Williams is a journalist and Local Democracy Reporter (LDR) for Reach PLC, reporting on local government, politics and community issues across London. As part of the Local Democracy Reporting Service, he has contributed to Harrow Online, covering council decisions, housing developments, transport, planning matters and stories affecting local communities across Harrow and Brent.
