Words by Ed King
Regional gaming company Shipley Estates Limited, who also trade under the names Shipley’s and Shipley’s Gaming, are looking to relocate one of their Erdington outlets to a larger premises on Erdington High Street.
The Tamworth based company, which has seven premises across the Midlands registered with the Gambling Commission, have applied to Birmingham City Council for a Bingo Premises License allowing them to operate from the old Costa Coffee site at 90-92 High St, Erdington.
Under the Gambling Act 2005, a Bingo Premises License prevents anyone under 18 years of age from visiting the premises and forbids any bingo activity between 12midnight and 9am.
However, according to the UK Gambling Commission it does allow “access to gaming machines”, such as slot machines, with “no restrictions”.
Shipley Estates Limited currently hold two licences for premises on Erdington High Street – as identified by the Gambling Commission UK – and have stipulated that if their application for a Bingo Premises License at 90-92 High Street, Erdington, is successful then their current Adult Gaming Premises License at 243 High Street will be “surrendered”.
However, local residents and officials are concerned the move to a larger premises could bring a rise in anti-social behaviour and negatively increase the gambling provision in an area that already has eight operating outlets.
The growing fears about the rise in gambling and gaming outlets on Erdington High Street have further been magnified as more family focused businesses continue to shut up shop, with the Co-op supermarket being the last to announce it will be leaving the High Street.
Last year, BoyleSports UK won their appeal to open a second gambling outlet on Erdington High Street after Birmingham City Council’s Planning Department initially blocked the application following widespread objections from local residents.
After hearing about the new Bingo Premises Licence application from Shipley Estate Limited, Cllr Gareth Moore (Erdington Ward, Conservatives) told Erdington Local: “We oppose the application to convert the former Costa unit into a gambling unit, by relocating a store from further down the High St.
“While this is not an increase in the number of units, across the whole High Street, this is replacing a smaller shop with a larger one and so will likely increase the amount of betting machines operating and importantly will also lead to a concentration of gambling shop units in the same location.”
He added: “There is already a betting shop next door and another four doors up, very close to this location and therefore the clustering of gambling units close to each other in the pedestrian part of the High Street could increase ASB and crime”.
Cllr Robert Alden (Erdington Ward, Conservatives) also told us: “Due to this increase in size of the unit, clustering impact on this part of the High Street and the loss of one of the larger retail units left in Erdington High Street.
“We urge residents to object to this application by emailing the [Birmingham] City Council licensing team at [email protected]”.
Objections to the Bingo Premises License application can be made in writing, via email or standard mail, to Birmingham City Council by 5 December – with anyone who lives “sufficiently close” to the premises or who is “likely to be affected” by the proposed activities on the site invited to make official representations.
Likewise, anyone who has “business interests that might be affected” by the licence is also invited to make representations.