Depressingly predictably the council's licensing committee this week granted a gaming licence for the John Evelyn pub for Paddy Power.
Despite the very vocal objections of local businesses and residents, as well as the blatant over-saturation of Deptford by such establishments, the council found no grounds on which to reject the application.
With the Halifax due to vacate its premises in the next couple of weeks, I shudder at the thought of the possibilities this raises.
2 comments:
It is a difficult one, this. Some people clearly want Bookmakers shops to go and bet, some people want to "say No to Tidemill Academy". Surely the majority must be allowed to win the day, provided there is no material damage to others. In the paddy power case, the majority have won the day, rather saddly at the expense of the visual discomfort of the building, but actually to no damage to anyone, assuming those who go to bet enjoy it in some way. More people bet than object to betting. If the population are consulted on the academy issue and are found in majority against or for it, then that is a fair process. We few who read blogs are not necessarily the majority, though we may think we are right! I am going to put a bet on Tidemill's future. 10 to 2 against new status, apparently. It is a great bet. Come on, use the local services on your high street!
Wake up, Anonymous...
Someone is making a monkey out of you.
This is nothing to do with what the majority wants. I lodged an objection to the PaddyPower application under normal planning procedures, only to be told that these do not apply to Bookies. Apparently Bookies have their own special laws under the Gambling Act 2005 which makes it virtually impossible for anyone to object to anything they want to do. Indeed, it is difficult to understand how this law exempting bookies from the normal planning procedures could ever have found itself on the statute book without heavy wads in brown, manilla envelopes changing hands within Tony Blair's administration.
Amongst those of us who were deprived of any realistic grounds to object were community members, local parents, local traders, the local police and the local authority itself.
Please, Anonymous, do some proper research before you go honking on with the garbage you have written.
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