Plan for 24-hour gambling venue set for approval

Plans to convert a seaside town's last high street bank into a 24-hour gambling venue are set to be approved.

It would replace Halifax on Baxtergate, Whitby, after it closes in May, according to an application submitted to North Yorkshire Council by Luxury Leisure, trading as Admiral.

More than 500 objections were lodged against the plans, including from one resident who said Whitby was "not Las Vegas".

However, council planning officers recommended the plans for approval as it meant a "soon to be vacant unit would remain in use in a prominent location".

Those objecting to the scheme criticised the loss of the bank and argued a gambling venue was not appropriate for the site.

Alison Hume, MP for Scarborough and Whitby, previously launched a public petition against the plans, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

A spokesperson for Luxury Leisure said there would be "no noisy amusement arcade equipment which attracts under-18s and has an impact on amenity".

"The proposed 24-hour use will ensure footfall to the town centre," the firm stated.

In a report prepared for councillors, planning officers said that "whilst the loss of a bank branch in a town centre may be regrettable" it was "not relevant to the consideration of this application".

The venue would add to the "tourism and leisure offering within the town centre, promoting footfall and would benefit the local economy", the report said.

The plans are set to be discussed by councillors on the Scarborough and Whitby area planning committee on 13 March.

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