The area dubbed the ‘Las Vegas of Britain’ with another gambling shop set to open

Six gambling shops – described by ward councillor Jumbo Chan as “engines of misery” – can be found in Harlesden town centre within a 600-metre stretch.

Brent Council’s planning committee last week approved a proposal to open another new “adult gaming centre” at 5-6 Park Parade due to it meeting national policy guidelines.

At the meeting, Cllr Chan spoke against the application, claiming there is already an “over concentration” of casinos, gaming centres and gambling facilities in the area.

He added: “This is greatly harmful for not only our residents and local businesses, but more importantly the very vulnerable people who live in Harlesden and are likely to frequent these particular establishments.”

Despite these concerns, planning committee members voted in favour of the new venue.

Committee member Cllr Robert Johnson explained that if the application was rejected, it is likely to be overturned on appeal as it meets local and national planning guidelines.

This would then lead to costs being awarded against the council, he added.

Council leader Cllr Muhammed Butt has now written to Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, urging the government to tighten planning laws around gambling shops.

Cllr Butt said that national guidelines should stipulate that bingo halls and adult gaming centres are in the same planning category as bookmakers.

This would prevent applicants from bypassing the 3% cap on such venues by splitting premises between categories, he claimed.

Cllr Butt added that local authorities should be given the power to reject premises licence applications that “threaten the community’s welfare and safety”.

As it stands, the Gambling Act 2005 requires councils to “aim to permit” licences for gambling premises unless they do not meet the licensing objectives.

He said that the proliferation of gambling shops in Harlesden has led to it being dubbed the “Las Vegas of Britain”, and that urgent action was necessary to prevent further harm.

The council leader added: “The current statutory ‘aim to permit’ policy severely limits our ability to prevent the opening of additional gambling venues, even when the community is unequivocally against it.

“This policy has left local authorities and communities grappling with outdated and inadequate legislation that fails to protect vulnerable residents from the harms associated with gambling.”

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has been approached for comment.