Licensing Bosses Don't Take Chance On Casino

Licensing bosses have rejected proposals for a multimillion-pound casino planned for Aberdeen's busiest street.

The £1.5million Soul Casino development would have been situated in the upper floor of the bar in the former Langstane Kirk.

The decision comes less than three weeks after the same licensing board granted permission for a rival city centre casino.

Grosvenor, the UK's biggest casino operator, was granted a gaming licence for a venue as part of the £27million City Wharf development planned for Shiprow.

During a three-hour meeting the board heard objections from representatives of the city's two current casinos.

Ewen Macgregor, company solicitor for Gala Casinos, said that there was not sufficient demand for another casino.

He also said the application was too similar to one rejected by the board last October for it to be granted.

Solicitor Laurence Tough outlined similar objections on behalf of the International Casino.

Solicitor Tony Dawson, on behalf of Soul Casino, described the objectors as a "cosy little cabal of operators" who wanted to keep competition out of the city.

"What is more interesting is looking at who hasn't objected. It's significant that there is no objection from the police, the gambling commission, the city council or anyone living nearby," he added.

Mr Dawson also said the majority of the 14 letters of objections were from people linked to the International Casino or its director George Stewart.

He also questioned the authenticity of some of the letters pointing to changes in handwriting style compared to earlier correspondence by the same objectors. In one letter a Mr MacDougall changed the spelling of his name to McDougall.

Discussing his clients' plans Mr Dawson insisted there was a demand for another gambling venue and produced figures of peak-time usage at the present two casinos to support the claim.

He urged board members to use their discretion if they did not agree as there was nothing like the casino - which would have created 80 full-time jobs - in Aberdeen at present.

As well as offering the card game punto banco and the Chinese dice game sicbo, it would concentrate on offering quality dining.

Mr Dawson added that the casino would be open before the Grosvenor if permission was granted as everything else was in place for the development.

After considering the application in private for around 45 minutes, board members voted unanimously that a demand for another casino had not been proved.

The nine members of the 13-person board who were present voted by five to four not to use their discretion to grant a gaming licence.

After the hearing Stuart Clarkson, owner of the Soul Bar, said: "I'll just have to regroup and have a think about it. I need to sit down with my solicitor tomorrow. I'm very disappointed and I think it is the second we've lost by one vote and it's just a pity that there wasn't a full board present."