Plans to convert old William Hill bookies in Pontefract into Admiral adult gaming centre revealed

Plans to convert a closed betting shop into a slot machine venue in Pontefract have been revealed.
Admiral already has a venue in Castleford.Admiral already has a venue in Castleford.
Admiral already has a venue in Castleford.

Admiral Casino has applied for planning permission to move into a premises on Market Place in the town formerly belonging to William Hill.

Admiral, which runs adult gaming centres across the country, similarly took over an old William Hill shop in Wakefield last year, and also has a venue in the centre of Castleford.

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In a planning statement put forward by Admiral's agents, the applicants insist approving the venture will not affect the "diversity" of Pontefract town centre.

The statement says: "Unlike an ‘arcade’ which is noisy to attract passing custom of all ages, there is a statutory obligation as per betting shop uses to exclude under 18s from AGCs (adult gaming centres)

"Such AGC establishments are commonly found at the heart of hundreds of shopping centres throughout the UK and are not uncommon even in defined primary shopping frontages.

"Indeed, many shopping centres have more than one AGC in the town centre.

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"There is no evidence that AGC uses have harmed any interest of acknowledged importance."

The statement also claims that such venues are not "inherently noisy" and there's no evidence they attract anti-social behaviour to town centres.

A final decision on the plans will be made later this year, either by the council's planning officers, or its planning committee, which is made up of elected councillors.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

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