Casino Advisory Panel Publishes List of Proposals

Tuesday, 04 April 2006

The Casino Advisory Panel announced today that 68 Local Authorities had submitted formal proposals to be considered by the Panel for one of the 17 new casino locations (1 regional, 8 large and 8 small):

Regional (27)
Blackpool; Brent; Cardiff; Chesterfield; Coventry; Dartford; Dudley; Glasgow; Great Yarmouth; Greenwich; Havering; Hull; Ipswich; Leeds; Manchester; Middlesbrough; Midlothian; Newcastle; Newport; Sheffield; Solihull; Southampton; Southend-on-Sea; Sunderland; Thurrock; Wakefield; West Dunbartonshire.

Large & Small (41)
Bath & NE Somerset ;Bournemouth; Bradford; Brighton & Hove; Cannock Chase; Canterbury; Carlisle; Chelmsford; Chester; Derby ; Dover; Dumfries & Galloway; East Lindsey; Falkirk; Harrogate; Hastings; Leicester; Luton; Maidstone; Mansfield; Milton Keynes; Newham; NE Lincolnshire; Peterborough; Renfrewshire; Restormel; St Helens; Salford ; Scarborough; Sefton; Sevenoaks; Shepway; South Tyneside; Surrey Heath; Swansea; Swindon; Taunton Deane; Torbay; Westminster, Woking; Wolverhampton. A number of authorities have requested more than one casino and a number of authorities have also indicated that they would be prepared to license a lower category of casino if they don’t secure their first choice. Chairman of the Panel, Professor Stephen Crow, said today, “These proposals represent a lot of hard work by the people that have prepared them, and, very often, a lot of difficult decision making also. They all deserve nothing less than fair and thorough examination. “Over the next few weeks all the proposals – and the evidence supporting them - will be considered very carefully to see how well they measure up. We expect that this process will last at least six to eight weeks and would ask for forbearance during this initial evaluation period. Each proposal must be studied in detail and this will take time. We will not be making any further announcements regarding the proposals during this period. If, however, we find we need additional information during this period, we shall ask for it. I would also like to make clear that written representations from any interested party may be made to the Panel at any time. “Once we have completed this initial phase of evaluation, selected proposals will then go forward for further examination over the summer months.”

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Notes to Editors:

• The examination of proposals will begin with their consideration with a view to their sifting and thinning down to manageable numbers for further examination, having regard to the set criteria and Government policy generally. During this process of consideration and sifting, additional information may be sought from the makers of proposals and others as needed, and consultancy may be sought as needed. Such additional information and advice will, like the proposals themselves, be in the public domain in due course. The output of this activity will be a short-list for further examination, having regard to the set criteria and Government policy generally.
• Before final decisions are made on the selection of proposals for further examination, consultation will be made with Regional Planning Bodies, Regional Development Agencies and comparable bodies in Wales and Scotland, and representations for further consideration will be invited.
• A brief statement will be made and published on the Panel’s website, giving the reasons why each of the submitted proposals has been or not been selected for further examination.

Further examination In addition to the seeking of further information in writing, the Panel will test the strength of selected competing proposals. This may be done either through the medium of public “round table” conferences based on the method of examination-in-public (EiP) or through the examination and consideration of written representations and other material. EiPs are likely to take place from the end of August to the end of September and will be limited to proposals for the regional casino. Proposals for large and small casinos will be examined on the basis of written evidence.

• A progress report will be made at the conclusion of this phase setting out what has been done. It will not speak as to the merits of any proposals.
• The Gambling Act recently passed by Parliament will allow three new types of casinos to operate in Britain. One “regional casino” will be permitted, along with eight large and eight small casinos.
• It is expected that the regional casino will have a minimum total customer area of 5,000 m², and be permitted up to 1,250 Category A unlimited jackpot gaming machines. Large casinos will have a minimum total customer area of 1,500 m², and be permitted up to 150 Category B gaming machines, with a maximum jackpot of £4,000. Small casinos will have a minimum total customer area of 750m², and be permitted up to 80 Category B gaming machines, with a maximum jackpot of £4,000. The one regional and eight large casinos will be permitted to offer bingo, and all three categories will be permitted to offer betting.
• The Advisory Panel’s task is to recommend to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport the areas where the one regional casino and eight large and eight small casinos would best be located. The primary criterion, as laid down by the Secretary of State is:
• to ensure that locations satisfy the need for the best possible test of social impact (which may require a range of locations of different kinds such as seaside resorts, edge of town developments or inner city centres); >

Subject to that, the Secretary of State has also asked the Panel;

• to include areas in need of regeneration (as measured by unemployment and other social deprivation data) and which are likely to benefit in these terms from a new casino;
• to ensure that those areas selected are willing to license a new casino.
• The Panel has been asked to Sprovide its recommendations to the Secretary of State by the end of 2006.
• The main contact for anything contained within this press notice will be: Jane Bransby, Secretary to the Casino Advisory Panel, tel. 020 7211 6453