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23 June 2005
Plug Pulled On Yarmouth Casino
Plan
Hotel
bosses yesterday dealt a major blow to Yarmouth's
regeneration plans by pulling the plug on an ambitious new
UK casino complex.
In March managers at the
Hilton Group announced plans to build a 4* hotel and casino
on the Pleasure Beach. It was branded a Las Vegas-style
super-casino that would re-establish Yarmouth as one of the
country's key tourist destinations, bringing millions a year
to the resort.
But last night hotel
managers said they no longer had any plans to come to the
town.
There have been strong
hints that the one regional casino to be built in Britain -
eight had been planned until an eve-of-the-election
compromise - will go to Blackpool.
Hilton Group corporate
development director Roger Devlin told the EDP that with no
regional casino Yarmouth's economy was not strong enough to
sustain a luxury hotel.
He said: "We would be
interested in doing something in Yarmouth but that can only
be justified by having a regional casino. Hilton only does
hotels with a minimum of 150 rooms and we don't believe the
market demand exists in the absence of a regional casino. If
the first test casino goes to Blackpool, as we project, we
expect the next wave will balance that out with one on the
East Coast - but Yarmouth will have to lobby hard. We are
willing to support Yarmouth with a hotel and casino if the
rules change, but at present we have no plans to develop in
the town."
The development was to be
the most prestigious part of a complex for the Pleasure
Beach including a multiplex cinema and bowling
alley.
Officials behind the
development were last night keen to point out that the
scheme will still go ahead - but without the casino and
hotel.
Albert Jones, director of
the Pleasure Beach, said: "For five years we've been working
on the assumption of just a cinema and bowling alley. The
Hilton Group came along six months ago and showed interest
but their not coming won't have much impact on our
plans.
"A casino and 4* hotel
would have been a tremendous boost for the whole of East
Anglia but the Government's decision was out of our
hands."
Karen Howes, regional
director of developers Henry Boot, said: "We're still
proceeding with the cinema and bowling alley and have
outline planning permission for a 100,000 sq ft
site.
"Everybody got slightly
thrown by the Hilton Group coming in and understandably got
very excited - but we've now all returned to
earth."
And Barry Stone, portfolio
holder for economic development at Yarmouth Borough Council,
said: "It is a disappointment not to be getting a
casino.
"But, when things settle
down, I hope the Government will introduce more regional
casinos, and we would welcome further discussion with the
Hilton Group then.
"In the long term, we hope
to be able to attract at least one 4 star hotel to
Yarmouth."
Last night a Government
spokesman told the EDP: "It's still a possibility for
Yarmouth to get the one regional casino, the decision will
not be taken until the beginning of 2007.
"It is also a possibility
that the Government will raise the number of regional
casinos over the course of this parliament - we retain an
open mind."
Related pages:
Hilton
Hangs Hopes on Yarmouth's Regenerative Needs
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