From Solihull to Leeds, gaming development plans span large, small and smaller
Solihull
This West Midlands city of 95,000 has emerged as the most likely site for the first of the eight “large” casinos authorized by the 2005 Gambling Act. However, before a site can be chosen the local council has to invite bids from developers and choose whichever it thinks can deliver the most benefits for the area.
A £90 million joint venture between the National Exhibition Centre and Genting Stanley featuring a 15,000-square-meter gaming floor with the statutory limit of 150 limited-prize slots is seen as the favorite.
But Rank Group has also been lobbying in the area.
Rank Chief Executive Ian Burke is launching a grassroots campaign to persuade local groups that his company takes the social concerns of local communities seriously. “We have been active in Solihull in engaging with influential stakeholders such as church and faith groups, charitable organisations as well as business representatives,” he said.
NEC is confident that the Genting-backed venture can win the backing of the council. “The NEC Group now looks forward to demonstrating that our partner and proposals represent the best possible outcome for Solihull, Birmingham and the wider West Midlands,” said head of communications Deborah Smith.
The council is expected to announce the identity of its preferred partner early this year.
Yarmouth
Developers have received the backing of the local council in this North Sea resort town for a “large” casino scheme on the sea front called The Edge. The £35 million project includes a 138-room hotel, eight-screen cinema, 18-lane bowling alley, six restaurants and four stories of car parking. The casino will be operated by Aspers, a joint venture between Aspinalls and the Packer Organisation.
The scheme was proposed by Councillor Mick Castle, who said, “The town has embraced this project, and there have not been any objections apart from extraneous matters such as parking concerns. This scheme is about jobs, about regeneration and about improving the offer of a seaside town.”
Aspers says the development will create up to 1,000 jobs.
The plans will go before the Secretary of State, who will decide whether to hold a public enquiry or allow the decision to be taken by the council. The granting of a license is expected to take 18 months from application. There is some opposition to the development with some conservationists concerned the six-story hotel will obscure views of the sea and the town’s famous monument to Lord Nelson.
Hull
Developers behind a £100 million development in this Yorkshire city of 257,000 have been given a two-year deadline to start work on the city center site. The scheme is incorporated in what will be Hull’s tallest building, a 23-story high rise that will contain a “large” casino, a 185-bed hotel and student accommodations.
The developers, Manor Group, say they have two possible international operators lined up to run the casino and hotel. But the council is getting impatient and wants work to start soon.
Councillor John Fareham, chairman of the local Planning Committee, explained: “I am concerned about the level of permissions we have given in the city centre that have not been taken up. The city centre is meant to be the jewel in our crown, and I am keen not to give another permission only for nothing to happen. This is a key site, and requiring the development to begin within two years is perfectly reasonable.”
Leeds
It’s been a case of “one in, one out” in this metropolis of 761,000 in northern England where a new casino has opened and an established one has closed.
London Clubs’ Alea Casino opened in the Clarence Dock development in September 2008, and in October the Rank-owned Grosvenor Casino in Moretown closed after 40 years of business.
Rank has two Grosvenor casinos in the city, and a spokeswoman blamed the rise in betting duty for the closure of the Moretown site. “The rate of duty for the Leeds casino increased by 500 percent in 2007, a level which would be difficult for any business to absorb,” she said.
The £13 million Alea has 17 gaming tables, six bars, two restaurants and a cinema spread over 50,000 square feet.
R.I.P.
Plans for Britain’s first racino in Reading fell apart after Stanley Casinos pulled out of a joint venture with greyhound stadium operators Stadia UK. Plans for the combined dog track and casino had received the backing of the local council and a site had been sourced. Stanley, which also operates the town’s Maxim Casino, cited the financial downturn for its decision.
The collapse of the scheme was bad news for dog and speedway racing fans in the Thames Valley town. Smallmead Stadium, which hosted both, was forced to close in October.
Stadia UK is searching for a new partner.
A new £5 million casino in Huddersfield has been forced to close just eight weeks after opening after the operating company cited financial difficulties.
Casino Red was operated by a company of the same name, which also operates an online casino site. It opened in a blaze of publicity and featured a high-class restaurant and a dance floor.
Customers received news of the closure by text message: “Casino Red directors have unfortunately had to temporarily suspend trading at the venue in Huddersfield. We will inform of a re-opening ASAP. Apologies.”
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