As previously reported, Golden Slots (Southern) applied for a gambling premises licence for an adult gaming centre in the old Barclays Bank at 169-171 Cricklewood Broadway. Brent’s licensing sub-committee met on Thursday 4 April (agenda and documents, including the 100+ objections, here). Seven residents, including Councillors Tariq Dar and Anne Clarke and our treasurer Ben Tansley, spoke to object and were able to ask questions of the applicants. Nevertheless the sub-committee granted the licence.
The full decision will be emailed to all objectors and we’ll link to it then. UPDATED: It’s here now. On the left you can see the objections made at the meeting and the applicants’ arguments for it; the committee’s response and decision are on the right. It explains (probably better than we can) that the law doesn’t allow the sub-committee / licensing authority to consider morality or demand. Children won’t be allowed in, but the effect on children of growing up with many gambling places around them can’t be considered. The law requires the licensing authority to aim to permit lawful gambling. They can take into account police evidence of crime directly linked to those premises or that particular form of gambling, but the police didn’t provide that.
The licence will allow gambling 24/7 but the planning permission granted by the planning inspector (overturning Brent’s refusal) says they can only open 0800 to 0030 Monday to Friday, 0900 to 0100 Saturday, and 0900 to 0030 Sunday and Bank Holidays – so Golden Slots are going to put in a planning application for that condition to be lifted. They say they’ll have CCTV with audio inside and outside, monitoring the pavement immediately outside and further along, but that’s not something they need a licence for or planning permission.
