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05 March 2006
Vital Talks Over Birmingham Super
Casino Plan
A
special meeting of the Birmingham
City Council
cabinet has been called in an attempt to resolve an
increasingly ugly dispute about the best site for a
super
casino.
Council leaders will
gather on March 20, 2006 to decide whether to tell a
Government panel that Birmingham wishes to be considered as
a suitable location for Britain's first American-style
gaming house.
Speculation was growing
last night that the cabinet may sacrifice all interest in a
casino in Birmingham, and mount instead a joint campaign
with Solihull
Borough Council in
support of a proposed super casino at the National
Exhibition Centre.
The suggestion, put
forward by a source close to the cabinet, would put paid to
Birmingham City Football Club's hopes of funding a new
stadium and £340 million sports village at Saltley off
the income from a super casino.
The possibility emerged
following a campaign of unprecedented intensity by the
Birmingham business community, Solihull Council and the NEC,
designed to railroad the cabinet into a quick
decision.
Birmingham
Chamber of Commerce and
Industry and
Birmingham
Forward both said
this week that the council should back the NEC scheme, which
they believe has a far better chance of winning Government
approval. The Institute of Directors in the West Midlands is
expected to announce on Monday that it also supports the
NEC.
Solihull Council has
already said that it will submit an application to the
panel.
Pressure on the cabinet
increased yesterday when Andrew Morris, the NEC chief
executive, said that Birmingham had been "incredibly slow
off the mark" on the casino issue and had let rival cities
leap ahead in the race.
The Casino Advisory Panel
has set a deadline of March 31 for local authorities to say
whether they wish to have a super casino in their area. The
panel has not asked for councils to promote specific sites
at this stage.
However, Mr Morris said:
"We are going to be running around at the eleventh hour
putting together strands of an application. It is creating a
lot more anxiety than was necessary. I think that Birmingham
has a history of being poorly organised over major projects.
Manchester, a city with far less appeal than Birmingham, is
often able to mobilise more quickly and align its
stakeholders' interests more effectively."
Mr Morris's remarks,
particularly his reference to Manchester, is likely to cause
further friction at the top of Birmingham City Council's
Conservative group, where there are sharp differences of
opinion about the best way forward on the casino
issue.
Ken Hardeman, the cabinet
member for regeneration, has said on several occasions that
it would be premature at this stage for the council to
choose between the NEC and Birmingham City. Coun Hardeman
(Con Brandwood) has pointed out to his colleagues that the
advisory panel will not be asking for specific sites until
later in the year.
He wants the cabinet to
take time to consider a report by consultants KPMG,
examining the merits of the NEC and Birmingham City schemes,
which will not be available until March 20 Ð the day of
the special cabinet meeting.
Both of the rival casino
schemes promise substantial financial reward for
Birmingham.
The NEC has pledged to pay
the council £350 million over ten years from the
profits of a casino.
Birmingham City FC would
give the council up to £50 million over ten years, in
addition to a £340 million sports village, stadium and
£55 million to clean contaminated land.
Related pages:
Birmingham
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