Pally Casino Plan Refusal Changes Nothing

Fears that a multi-million pound refit of Alexandra Palace would be jeopardised by a Haringey Council decision to throw out a casino bid have been quashed.

Leading councillors on the executive refused to put in a non-binding expression of interest for a casino to the Government by the end of March deadline.

It effectively ruled the borough out of the running for a limited number of gambling licences.

But John Angus, operations director for multi-millionaire Firoz Kassam's The Firoka Group, which is behind the massive revamp, declared "all plans are variable".

He said: "It's not going to diminish our drive towards taking over Alexandra Palace and we're not going to change what we're doing at present."

It was felt that that without a casino it would be hard for the Palace to draw people in from the wider London area.

In a report to the executive, officers wrote: "Failure to achieve this will make the task of securing a financially viable and sustainable future and operation of the palace as a destination of local and London-wide and national/European significance all the more harder to achieve."

The casino was to be used by guests of a proposed four-star 120-150 room hotel.

The decision not to put in an expression of interest followed criticism by councillors of the briefing report submitted to them by officers.

Councillor Kate Wynne said: "I can't make an informed decision based on what is in front of me this evening."

This was despite reassurances from Councillor Harry Lister, executive member for enterprise and regeneration, that it was simply an expression of interest, which ultimately would be subject to full consultation and due process.

He said: "All we're doing essentially is showing an expression of interest, saying we would look at this."