Listen to this article:Although 24/7 online bingo offers huge advantages, having a 24-hour bingo hall also comes with plenty of benefits. However, plans to open a 24-hour Hanwell bingo hall have been rejected after a planning inspector dismissed an appeal from Pure Gaming Limited.
The company wanted to convert a vacant commercial unit at 153–155 Uxbridge Road into an adult-only bingo venue complete with gaming machines. It would have operated around the clock from a prominent location next to Hanwell Clock Tower.
Ealing Council had previously refused planning permission because of concerns about the effect on the town centre, nearby residents and the surrounding area. Pure Gaming appealed against that decision, but the Planning Inspectorate backed the council and dismissed the appeal at the end of July.
Pure Gaming had described the proposed business as a bingo premises, although Ealing Council argued that an adult gaming centre would have been a more accurate description.
The venue would have contained gaming machines, only admitted customers aged 18 and over, and remained open for 24 hours a day. Pure Gaming said there were differences between a bingo arcade and an adult gaming centre. Still, the planning inspector found that the company had not provided much detail about those differences.
The venue would have contained gaming machines, only admitted customers aged 18 and over, and remained open for 24 hours a day. Pure Gaming said there were differences between a bingo arcade and an adult gaming centre. Still, the planning inspector found that the company had not provided much detail about those differences.
One of the main questions was whether the venue would make a suitable contribution to Hanwell town centre. The unit has been vacant for some time and currently has a blank frontage. However, the inspector found there was not enough evidence to show that the bingo premises would create the active and inviting frontage expected in such a prominent location. As the building sits beside Hanwell Clock Tower and a large pedestrian area, the inspector decided that the proposed venue would have a harmful effect on the vitality and viability of the town centre.
The possible impact on people living near the venue was another important part of the decision. People live directly above the ground-floor commercial unit, but Pure Gaming did not provide a noise report showing how those residents would be protected from sounds coming from the venue.
Customers would also have been able to arrive, leave or gather outside at any time of the day or night, and while some noise is to be expected in a town centre, Hanwell has very few businesses that operate around the clock. The inspector decided that activity outside the bingo hall could disturb residents in the area during the night and early morning, when background noise is generally minimal.
The Metropolitan Police had also raised concerns about antisocial behaviour and crime close to the proposed venue. According to the appeal decision, the immediate area was already experiencing problems involving antisocial behaviour, violence, sexual offences and theft. Police believed that another 24-hour business could make those problems worse and the inspector was not convinced that age restrictions, CCTV or additional security measures would be enough to remove the risk.
Ealing Council had also argued that there is already a concentration of gambling businesses in Hanwell town centre.
There is a Ladbrokes betting shop one unit away from the proposed venue, while William Hill operates a short distance away on the opposite side of Uxbridge Road. However, this part of the council’s argument was not accepted by the planning inspector.
Although betting shops and bingo premises are both gambling-related businesses, there was no local planning policy restricting how close they could be to one another. Gambling venues also make up a relatively small proportion of the commercial units in Hanwell.
This means that the appeal was not rejected because there were already too many gambling businesses in the area. Still, because of the potential effect on the town centre and the possible noise and disturbance the bingo hall could generate.
Pure Gaming had argued that the plans would bring an empty unit back into use and create 14 jobs. While the inspector accepted that these would be economic and social benefits, it was decided that they did not outweigh the potential problems.
Ealing Council has welcomed the dismissal of the appeal, which means the 24-hour bingo hall cannot go ahead under the submitted plans.
Councillor Monica Hamidi, Ealing Council’s cabinet member for good growth, said:
“This is an important decision for Hanwell and for residents who raised concerns about the impact of a 24-hour gambling venue in this location. We want our town centres to be lively, welcoming and successful, but new business proposals must also protect people’s quality of life and contribute positively to the local area. The inspector’s decision supports the council’s view that this proposal did not meet that test.”
Pure Gaming could potentially challenge the inspector’s decision through the courts. Still, unfortunately for bingo players, the plans for a 24-hour Hanwell bingo hall have been rejected. It cannot submit another ordinary planning appeal against the same plans that have been refused.
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