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Casino plan clears first hurdle
A CONTROVERSIAL proposal to open a casino in Bloomsbury has narrowly cleared its first hurdle by winning approval from a panel of planners.
Residents are outraged at the Thistle Hotel’s plans to run the high-stakes casino in Bloomsbury Way, arguing that it will bring extra crime and disturbance to the neighbourhood.
Thistle must still secure a gaming licence from Camden Council but it passed the first test last Thursday night when it was given planning consent to convert a former bureau de change.
The hotel operator’s application divided a panel of councillors who only passed the plans in a split 5-4 show of hands and on the deciding vote of planning chairwoman Councillor Dawn Somper.
The decision was taken in controversial circumstances with one member of the committee, Labour councillor Sue Vincent, complaining that she had been persistently contacted by the applicants in the days running up to the meeting.
Councillors on the committee are supposed to be protected from lobbying and run the risk of undermining the process if they talk to either developers or objectors.
Cllr Vincent said: “I received an inordinate amount of paperwork from the applicants and telephone calls as well which I must say I did find very intrusive.”
Objector Albert Beale, who lives in nearby Museum Chambers, led a deputation to the meeting.
He said: “Our little corner of Bloomsbury has managed to maintain a certain village-y atmosphere.
It is a rare example in central London of a long-existing community of hundreds of households of ordinary people of varied backgrounds, some of whom have lived here for decades and have family links in the area. A casino would be totally out of place here, both in terms of the change of atmosphere and the increase in night-time comings and goings.”
Mr Beale added: “It is important to maintain the occasional little oasis like our area.”
Labour councillor Penny Abraham, who does not sit on the committee and also appeared as an objector, said: “It looks to me another example of ‘Oh well, nobody lives here, we can stick a casino here.’ But you have to look at the density of the residents all around. The idea that there should be an all-night casino in an area like this is grotesque.”
She added: “It would be utterly inappropriate to go ahead with this proposal right in the middle of a residential area. If this was Hampstead, you wouldn’t do it.”
The Thistle is adamant that their casino will be an upmarket operation which will not attract a rowdy clientele. Nobody will leave without having transport organised.
Conservative councillor Mike Greene voted in favour of the proposals. He said he was persuaded by the argument that the Thistle would not allow a casino to disturb its own hotel guests – let alone nearby residents.
A Thistle spokesman said: “These are familiar concerns. We are more than alive to the sensitivity. From the outset we have had a number of meetings with local residents and taken on board their concerns. For example, we have the provision of CCTV to improve local security.”
He added: “This is not a mass market proposal, instead it will be upmarket with only a small number of people. It would not be in Thistle’s interests to operate in a way that would cause disturbance to its own hotel guests.”
The spokesman confirmed that the Thistle was in the process of applying for a gaming licence. |
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