Ashford Bank Turning Into Gambling Centre
Councils in Surrey have signed a letter calling for more powers to block gambling centres after plans to turn an old bank into one were given the green light.
The new gambling centre will be based in an old bank in Ashford. © An Lê Khánh, Unsplash
Key Facts:
- Councils Runnymede, Spelthorne and Surrey Heath have signed the letter to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)
- The plans for a new gambling facility in Ashford were allowed after an appeal was successful
- But the application for it to be able to open 24/7 was rejected
- Spelthorne’s MP Lincoln Jopp was among those against the plans for a new gambling centre in Ashford
Astro Property (MK) Ltd initially saw its proposal to convert the Ashford building into a gambling centre rejected.
However, the company submitted an appeal and the plans were then accepted as a result.
Ashford’s former bank building will now be converted into a gambling centre, but Astro Property’s hopes it would be able to open 24/7 have been knocked back.
Many local residents, as well as Spelthorne’s MP Lincoln Jopp, had battled against the proposals to bring another gambling centre to the area.
Councils Want More Powers
A trio of local Surrey councils – Runnymede, Spelthorne and Surrey Heath – have put their names to a letter sent to DCMS regarding gambling regulation.
Dozens of councils up and down the UK are calling for the government to give them more powers to prevent gambling businesses from opening.
Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, is among the senior political figures to have signed the letter to DCMS, which also called for a ban on gambling advertising, as well as increased levels of funding for research to be carried out into the dangers of gambling addiction.
Plans to turn the Ashford bank building into a new gambling centre will now go to Spelthorne Borough Council, which must decide whether to grant a licence.
Stronger Say
One local resident, Michelle Singlehurst from Camberley, has opened up about how she found herself gripped by a gambling addiction.
She told BBC Radio Surrey: “I effectively lost absolutely everything and harmed people that I love.
“It can very quickly turn into something that can destroy your life. I stopped after an overdose and three weeks in hospital.”
Ms Singlehurst backs councils being given more powers over local gambling businesses and says she has sympathy with councils who “can’t say no” to applications.
She added: “They can say ‘you can’t open 24 hours’, but six months down the line if nothing’s gone wrong effectively that company can come back and say ‘can we now open 24 hours, please?’
“I don’t think it’s right that councils and residents don’t have a stronger say in what happens in their own towns.”
Since winning at the 2024 general election, the Labour government has pushed through reforms of the gambling sector such as introducing slot stake limits at online casinos and bringing in a new statutory levy for the industry.
