admin 15 hours agoNew York StateComments Off on The quiet London street becoming ‘mini-Las Vegas’0 Views
Residents on a wealthy west London high street have said they are living in ‘mini-Las Vegas’ as they fight to stop casinos from taking over the area. People living in Earl’s Court are fighting Admiral Casino’s application to run a 24-hour casino. (Picture: Getty Images)
They fear the venue will only bring in more crime to an area already suffering from high levels of antisocial behaviour. They also fear other venues could be inspired to follow suit, and apply to stay open for 24 hours as well. (Picture: Google)
Local Francesco Zibellini, chair of Earl’s Court Society, told the Local Democracy Service: ‘Look around you. I mean, most of these houses are residential, so of course having another site that is going to be open 24 hours is going to increase the potential for noise and nuisance. This is just offering a different image of this community, you know, less residential, more messy, the probability of having more and more noise and nuisance, more litter on the ground. In 15 years, this is going to end up being like a mini-Las Vegas.’ (Picture: Getty Images)
Three betting shops sit within a minute of each other on the high street – William Hill, Silver Time and Admiral Casino. In the last 12 months there have been 711 incidents of antisocial behaviour and 471 incidents of violent and sexual offences in Earl’s Court. These account for 50% of crimes in the area. There is also a Public Space Protection Order in place to tackle crime. (Picture: Google)
But Luxury Leisure, which owns Admiral Casino, says the shop has operated for the last two-and-a-half years with no complaints. They want to stay open so customers working in late-night industries such as bars have the opportunity to visit. They also said the opposals made by residents were made ‘without any technical evidence’. So far there have been 200 complaints and no letters of support. (Picture: Shutterstock/Andrew the Kerr)
London’s reputation as a 24-hour city is already in the mud. In February, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan set up a task force to rejuvenate the city’s ailing nightlife. London as suffered a 19% decline in late-night venues since the Covid pandemic, with iconic venues including Tiger Tiger and G-A-Y announcing their closure. (Picture: Getty)
Venue owners have blamed ‘Nimbys’ for the decline, but Mr Khan said he hopes the group will try and reverse the decline the city has been experiencing so rapidly. This includes exploring the extension of alcohol licensing, widening the night tube and putting Nimbys who move to areas with a lot of nightlife last. (Picture: Bluesky/@london.gov.uk)
