Plans to licence another gambling site on a North London high street have been met with fierce opposition, with more than 200 objections to the proposal. Residents, councillors, and MPs have come out in droves to decry the “frankly maddening” scheme, which many feel will “escalate issues” with antisocial and criminal behaviour in the area.
In February 2025, Brent Council approved a plan to turn the former Lloyds bank on Walm Lane in Willesden into a bingo hall before the operator promptly made another planning application to convert it into an Adult Gaming Centre (AGC) – which was approved in September 2025. The operator is now seeking the licence to run the premises as an AGC.
There are already 19 gambling premises within a 1.7m radius of the Willesden site – more than there are banks or medical centres. About 38 per cent of residents in Willesden Green live in income-deprived households, according to figures from Brent Council, and residents are accusing gambling companies of “targeting vulnerable people living in poverty”.
The application will be reviewed by Brent Council’s Alcohol and Licensing Sub-Committee next week (June 18) but a great many people have already submitted representations urging the local authority to refuse the plan.
One resident wrote: “These facilities already exist in Willesden. If you want people to continue to want to live in Brent/Willesden, you have to start with improving the area, not letting it degrade.”
Another added: “This is not what the community needs. This will encourage anti-social behaviour which has already become an increasingly prominent issue in the area. We want bakeries, other beneficial businesses. The fact this is even being suggested is a disgrace.”
But it’s not just residents that have voiced their displeasure, with councillors, the local MP and London Assembly Member all lodging objections. Brent Council and Brent East MP Dawn Butler have been campaigning to change some of the planning rules to “tackle the rapid spread of gambling establishments”, with the hope it would enable the local authority to have more power to refuse.
Against the latest proposal, Butler MP said: “There is already a proliferation of gambling shops and adult gaming centres in my constituency, with multiple adult gaming centres already within 100 metres of the proposed site and the area around Walm Lane has already seen a number of incidents of anti-social behaviour and criminal behaviour. I am deeply concerned that permitting this license will only escalate issues in the area.”
The area surrounding the Walm Lane site is described as “already saturated” with gambling sites – including two AGCs within 0.1 miles, five betting shops in the immediate vicinity, alongside pawn brokers and payday lenders. It is a recognised hotspot for crime and anti-social behaviour, with Willesden Green having a “high crime” safety score, according to Crime Radar.
The former borough mayor, Cllr Ryan Hack, suggested approving the plan would be “immoral, counterproductive and frankly maddening”, whilst Willesden’s Labour Councillor, Saqlain Choudry, said: “Hundreds of residents have also expressed their desire to see a local area that is thriving and deserving of diversity, not of establishments that harm individuals and society. Another adult gaming centre included in Willesden/Brent will do more harm than good. Enough is enough.”
The Brent Green Group added: “Brent is home to some of the most income-deprived children in the United Kingdom. Placing a 24-hour gambling venue in the heart of such a community, supported by a flawed risk assessment that fails to even identify local schools, is an unacceptable risk to public safety and child welfare. No amount of internal staffing or CCTV can mitigate the “invisible harms” of debt, family breakdown, and poverty that will radiate from the premises into the surrounding streets.”
The applicant, Arcadia Casino Ltd, responded to say that, whilst there are already multiple gambling sites in Willesden, the total frontage of the high street taken up by this use “would sit within the threshold of no more than 3 per cent”.
They also point to the industry creating local employment opportunities and providing “economic benefits locally through business rates”, alongside social benefits. Arcadia Casino states: “ For the vast majority who take part in visiting gambling premises, gambling is their social interaction, their fun and enjoyment, and leisure time. Sometimes their ‘only’ leisure time and human interaction.”
In terms of the crime statistics, the applicant claims the level and type in the area “is consistent with a busy metropolitan high street” and there is “no direct evidence available” to indicate that gambling premises are the primary driver of crime. However, it adds that it has implemented measures including staff supervision, CCTV and incident reporting protocols “to mitigate any potential impact”.
It adds: “This Local Area Risk Assessment demonstrates that the premises are suitable for its location and that all relevant risks have been identified and appropriately mitigated. The operator has implemented robust policies, procedures and control measures to ensure compliance with the licensing objectives and to protect children and vulnerable persons. The premises will continue to review and update this assessment in line with regulatory requirements.”
However, these responses will likely do little to quell the growing anger at these types of applications. Brent and Harrow Assembly Member, Krupesh Hirani, has said he is “deeply concerned” about the negative impact another gambling venue would have on the local community.
He said: “The applicant has provided a poor case that ignores the specific socio-economic challenges of the area. It does not offer sufficient protection for the vulnerable, it fails to address the very real risks of crime and disorder in a hotspot area, and it ignores the public health data that shows Brent is already suffering from an excess of gambling opportunities.”
Many residents feel that the community “will not benefit” from the AGC and instead want to see a “thriving high street”, with shops that don’t “encourage addictive behaviour and promote time wasting” that could negatively influence younger people.
One resident added: “The area around it would feel less safe and pleasant. Gambling is addictive and encourages wanton greed and the idea that money is prized above everything else, which is an appalling message to give our local community and young people.”
A decision on whether to grant the licence will be made at next week’s hearing.
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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.
