News: No change for proposed Rotherham gaming centre
Operators have got no change out of Rotherham Council after an application for a High Street adult gaming centre (AGC) in the town centre were refused.
Council officers were unhappy with the proposed 24 hour operation.
Cashino Gaming Ltd venues do not offer Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs) like betting shops but instead contain machines that offer low stakes ranging from 10p to a maximum of £2 and bingo being played on tablets.
The change of use application would've seen Merkur Slots open in a vacant unit on Frederick Street, a former bookmakers.
Praesepe is a subsidiary of the €2.58 billion a year turonver, Gauselmann Group, that operate 700 venues across Europe under the Merkur Brand, including 170 AGCs in the UK under the Merkur Slots brand.
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The applicants argued that there had been little interest from retailers in the unit since it was vacated in 2017 and that AGCs can "compliment retail and service uses and help to contribute to a town's evening and night time economy."
Despite the applicant stating that the AGCs are recognised and common town centre uses, Rotherham Council officers refused the plans, concluding that it was contrary to local plan policies.
A planning report stated: "The proposed use is not one listed as appropriate in Primary Shopping Frontages and no evidence has been presented which would be considered as a material consideration to outweigh that there are vacant premises outside of Primary and Secondary Shopping Frontages where the use could be accommodated."
The company was only interested in taking the Frederick Street unit and not one that wasn't classed as a Primary Shopping Frontage in the local plan.
The report added: "The Council considers that the proposed use by virtue of its 24hr operation in close proximity to residential properties would lead to unacceptable levels of noise nuisance and general disturbance to local residents from comings and goings during the evening and night time hours in an area where uses opening beyond midnight is not encouraged."
The applicant put forward that it was not a noisy neighbour and pointed to recent decisions that have seen planning permission granted on appeal.
Merkur website
Images: Merkur
Council officers were unhappy with the proposed 24 hour operation.
Cashino Gaming Ltd venues do not offer Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs) like betting shops but instead contain machines that offer low stakes ranging from 10p to a maximum of £2 and bingo being played on tablets.
The change of use application would've seen Merkur Slots open in a vacant unit on Frederick Street, a former bookmakers.
Praesepe is a subsidiary of the €2.58 billion a year turonver, Gauselmann Group, that operate 700 venues across Europe under the Merkur Brand, including 170 AGCs in the UK under the Merkur Slots brand.
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The applicants argued that there had been little interest from retailers in the unit since it was vacated in 2017 and that AGCs can "compliment retail and service uses and help to contribute to a town's evening and night time economy."
Despite the applicant stating that the AGCs are recognised and common town centre uses, Rotherham Council officers refused the plans, concluding that it was contrary to local plan policies.
A planning report stated: "The proposed use is not one listed as appropriate in Primary Shopping Frontages and no evidence has been presented which would be considered as a material consideration to outweigh that there are vacant premises outside of Primary and Secondary Shopping Frontages where the use could be accommodated."
The company was only interested in taking the Frederick Street unit and not one that wasn't classed as a Primary Shopping Frontage in the local plan.
The report added: "The Council considers that the proposed use by virtue of its 24hr operation in close proximity to residential properties would lead to unacceptable levels of noise nuisance and general disturbance to local residents from comings and goings during the evening and night time hours in an area where uses opening beyond midnight is not encouraged."
The applicant put forward that it was not a noisy neighbour and pointed to recent decisions that have seen planning permission granted on appeal.
Merkur website
Images: Merkur
1 comments:
Typical Rotherham, would sooner have an empty property, no doubt eventually a burnt out cannabis factory as usual!
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