Plans for a new adult gaming centre in Bedford town centre will go before councillors next week amid concerns over gambling harm, vulnerable people and the potential for 24-hour opening.
A Bedford Borough Council licensing sub-committee will meet on the morning of Thursday, 28 May, to determine an application for a new premises licence at 19 Silver Street, the former Clintons card shop.
The application has been submitted by Future Leisure Limited under the Gambling Act 2005.
A report prepared for councillors says the authority can either grant the licence, grant it with additional conditions, or reject the application.
According to the applicant’s local gambling risk assessment, the site sits within a “mixed-use town centre environment with high levels of public footfall, where some indicators of vulnerability may be present alongside a concentration of retail, leisure and licensed premises”.
The assessment identifies several potential risks linked to the operation of the venue, including underage gambling, problem gambling among vulnerable people and money laundering.
Nearby schools, colleges, and nurseries are also highlighted in the application documents as safeguarding considerations, as children and young people regularly pass through the area.
The applicant says a range of control measures would be introduced, including Challenge 25 age verification checks, CCTV coverage, staff safeguarding training, self-exclusion schemes, customer behaviour monitoring and a “neutral shopfront design” with “no gambling imagery visible from the street”.
The application does not seek to vary the default permitted hours under gambling legislation, meaning the venue could potentially operate 24 hours a day.
Objections raised
Concerns about the proposal were previously raised by ward councillors Lucy Bywater and Paul Edmonds (Green, Castle and Newnham), who formally objected to the plans.
Councillor Bywater said on social media: “On all levels, we think this would be a really negative addition – socially, in terms of harm, and visually.
“It’s unlikely to be welcomed by hard-working neighbouring businesses.”
Read: Backlash against proposed all-night gambling venue in Bedford town centre
She also said public health officers had been asked for input, while warning the council’s powers under gambling legislation may be limited.
“We’ve shared our objections with Licensing with reference to the gambling licensing objectives, but their powers over this may be limited,” she added.
Under the Gambling Act 2005, decisions must focus on three licensing objectives:
- Preventing gambling from being a source of crime or disorder
- Ensuring gambling is conducted fairly
- Protecting children and vulnerable people from harm
Formal representations are usually limited (under the Gambling Act 2005) to those considered “interested parties”, such as nearby residents or businesses who may be affected by the proposal.
By John Guinn, Local Democracy Reporter
Edited by Paul Hutchinson, Bedford Independent
