Gaming centre to expand despite gambling concerns

An adult gaming centre has been granted permission to expand its premises into an adjoining building despite an MP raising concerns about gambling shops in the city.

Ticketgrange Limited, which runs a bingo premises called New Horizon Amusements on Bridge Street, Peterborough, was given approval by Peterborough City Council on Tuesday.

It was the company's second application after the authority turned down its plans in September.

When the revised application was made in December, Peterborough's MP Andrew Pakes called for a stronger local plan "to set out limits on betting and gambling shops and to address the cumulative impact of these on the city centre".

He also expressed concerned about New Horizon's proximity to the war memorial, job centre and other facilities on Bridge Street, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

In its second application, Ticketgrange UK submitted an alternative shopfront design and said the vacant next door unit, which was used by the Works store, would create "enhanced vitality and vibrancy".

Peterborough Civic Society said the loss of a retail unit would "negatively impact the street scene" and the area around the town hall.

City council planning officers heard from Cambridgeshire Police, which said the area was known for crime and anti-social behaviour, but there was no record of New Horizon contributing to or causing issues.

The plan was recommended for approval, given that it adhered to the local plan and the illuminated signs were acceptable and not "overly dominant".

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