The Revival of Gaming in Bath
Casino Bid - Supplementary Submission - Part 1
Please click here for Casino Bid - Supplementary Submission -
Part 2
The Government’s Casino Advisory Panel has offered the
opportunity for all Local Authorities who were shortlisted for a
casino licence to submit further evidence in support of their
original application. The Panel have confirmed that any
supplementary submission should be no more than five pages long and
must provide new information which supports the authority’s
original proposal.
The Council has submitted further information in support for its
original bid for a small casino licence in Bath. The
supplementary submission highlights that there is:
- An increasing need within the Bath travel to work area to
develop the contribution of tourism to the local economy.
- Confirmed interest from casino operators in establishing
a small high quality casino in Bath City Centre to broaden the
city’s leisure offer and link to other attractions such as the
Spa.
- A choice of potential sites which meet operator requirements
and where the Council as landowner can directly effect
delivery.
The Council has put forward six sites which it feels could be
suitable for a small casino, with the potential on four of the
sites for the casino to be linked to a new hotel. Any
development proposals brought forward on these sites would be
subject to the usual planning and licensing procedures.
In addition the selection of a casino operator would be undertaken
through an open competitive process.
Please find the Supplementary Submission below.
Introduction
The “Revival of Gaming in Bath” sets out the strategic approach
the Council is taking in its bid for a small casino licence for
Bath and the development of a casino facility in the city
centre. The Council has continued to work to both refine and
develop its approach by liaising further with local community
groups and organisations. We have met with casino operators
to gain a better understanding of market interest and their
requirements and drawn up a shortlist of potential sites which can
both satisfy operational needs and deliver community
benefits.
Social Impact
We are taking forward a cutting edge project which will fully
assess the potential social impact of a casino. This research,
which is being undertaken in conjunction with a local firm of
geographic statisticians and the Primary Health Care Trust aims to
identify any ‘at risk’ groups within 30 minutes drive time of Bath
city centre.
In the short term this will provide us with an information
resource that will allow us to map out the areas within the casino
catchment where gambling, debt and relationship problems are most
prevalent. In turn this will inform effective targeting of support
services, building on the existing relationships between the
Council and the Community & Voluntary Sectors set out in the
original bid document.
In the longer term, the project will provide the basis for
collecting ongoing comparative research and may help to map any
changes in our social landscape. Some of these changes may be
attributed to gambling and may indicate where and in what ways
mitigation of these changes may be required.
One of the primary aims of the Council is to improve the lives
of people in Bath & North East Somerset. Socially, this
includes providing greater chances of career development and
training in the area. The casino will be a large private sector
employer in a city which is over reliant on public sector
employment and with few relatively large businesses. As such it
will diversify the employment opportunities available to local
people.
Need for Regeneration
Our original bid document drew attention to the declining
visitor economy in Bath with a reduction in overseas visitors,
falling visitor numbers to local attractions and a static length of
stay. Tourism related employment in the city has declined by
3,000 jobs since 2000/2001.
This affects not only the city but Bath’s wider travel to work
area which includes the former coal mining towns of Midsomer Norton
and Radstock located on the southern boundary of Bath & North
East Somerset. Now heavily reliant on printing and packaging,
with over 2.5 times the national average proportion of
manufacturing employment, the area has recently suffered two major
factory closures with the loss of nearly 800 jobs.
Following on from their work on the ‘Bath Business Plan’, Ernst
& Young have produced the ‘Wider Bath & North East Somerset
Study’. This emphasises the need to promote economic
diversification in Midsomer Norton and Radstock whilst reinforcing
the links between the economy of the City of Bath and that of the
wider area.
A revitalised visitor economy in Bath would make a significant
contribution by:
- Helping to expand the range of job opportunities in the city
for both local residents and those in the travel to work area.
- Boosting the Tourism sector in the south of the area by
spreading the benefits of the city’s tourism activity.
The central focus of the Council’s approach is on increasing the
number of staying visitors and their length of stay. This
will provide a more sustainable tourism product with better
employment prospects, increasing spend within the local economy,
and opportunities to attract visitors to the North East Somerset
area and beyond. Bath Tourism Plus, the Council’s arms length
tourism organisation, actively promotes the wider visitor
opportunities through its website: www.visitbath.co.uk
As indicated in our bid, strengthening the City’s visitor offer,
expanding the size and quality of the accommodation base and
increasing the value and volume of business tourism are key factors
in revitalising the visitor economy in Bath. The opening of
the Thermae Bath Spa is the first step in this process and has been
accompanied by increased investor interest in developing hotel
accommodation in the city.
The Gainsborough building adjacent to the Spa is proposed for a
new 95 bed spa hotel and the Council would seek to link the
development of a casino with the provision of new visitor
accommodation, as outlined in the ’Probability of Implementation’
section. This in turn would boost local employment generation
with a combined casino and hotel development creating up to 500
jobs.
Willingness to License
Following the Council resolution of 17 November 2005 and the
subsequent unanimous resolution of the Council Executive on 7
December 2005 to support a bid for a small casino in Bath, it has
been agreed that a further report to the Council will be submitted
on the 14 September 2006. It will outline the progress of the
casino proposal for Bath and put forward resolutions to confirm
the:
- Continued development of the proposal as an important early
action in taking forward the Future for Bath Vision.
- Continued development of community engagement and provisions
for ensuring community benefit in taking the proposal forward.
- Council’s willingness to issue a casino licence, subject to
proper consideration through the licensing process, in accordance
with regulations to be issued by the Government.
Probability of Implementation
As indicated under ‘Need for Regeneration’ the opening of the
Thermae Bath Spa is the first step in strengthening the City’s
visitor economy. The development of a casino would continue
this process by helping to build the critical mass of Bath’s
offer.
The Council has continued to consult with potential casino
operators to gain a wider appreciation of their development
needs. Five operators have confirmed their interest in
developing a facility in Bath and a shortlist of six sites has been
drawn up which are capable of meeting their requirements. These
range from a 1400 sqm facility incorporating 25 gaming tables and
modest restaurant and bar facilities up to a 3250 sqm development
with 40 gaming tables and 1750 sqm of bars and restaurants. Private
sector investment is estimated at between £8 - £15 million
reflecting the highest development cost associated with city centre
sites and the high quality which operators have confirmed they will
incorporate.
Five of the sites also offer the opportunity for the development
of new visitor accommodation and the potential to capitalise on
investor interest. Our original bid document set out the
shortcomings in the size and quality of the existing stock and the
need to address the decline in the overall number of bed
spaces. Recent surveys have shown that occupancy levels in
the city have risen to nearly 80% whilst Visit Britain statistics
show the correlation between the expansion of visitor accommodation
and the ability to attract more tourist visitors.
All of the sites are within the city centre and have the ability
to boost activity and investment along the east/west axis of the
city centre thereby staying true to the strategic approach set out
in our bid. In addition the Council is the sole or major land
owner for four of the sites providing more direct control of the
implementation process and the potential to ensure maximum local
community benefit.
SITE A: GREEN PARK STATION
The site covers a footprint of some 20,000 m2 and contains the
former Green Park Station, a grade II listed building, and a
Sainsbury’s Supermarket. The Council is the major
landowner. Discussions are underway to secure the relocation
of the supermarket as the operator wishes to build a larger
facility. It is envisaged the site would incorporate a
3,250m2 casino generating 250-300 jobs. The development would
be a catalyst for the revitalisation of Green Park Station as a
specialist niche retail and leisure destination complimenting the
city centre.
SITE B: BATH WESTERN RIVERSIDE EAST
The site has a footprint of 46,000m2. It is in private
sector ownership and is proposed for a high density, employment led
mixed use development in the Supplementary Planning Guidance for
Bath Western Riverside. Implementation relies on relocation
of the existing Homebase store and Pines Gate employment units and
removal of the Sainsbury’s petrol station. Provision would be
made in the scheme for a 3,250m² casino linked to a 4,000 m² 500
delegate cultural centre/conference facility and a 150 bed 3-4 star
hotel generating 450-500 jobs.
SITE C: SAWCLOSE
The site has a footprint of 3,400m² and incorporates Bluecoat
House, Regency Ballroom and Palace Bars. A number of the
buildings are grade II listed and will need to be incorporated into
an overall scheme to regenerate the area including the creation of
a high quality urban square as a setting for the existing Theatre
Royal and new 2,300 m² casino and 40-45 bed ’boutique’ style hotel
generating 300-350 jobs. The site, apart from a small area
owned by the Primary Care Trust, is owned by the Council.
Discussions have been held with the Primary Care Trust, a
Development Brief produced and negotiations undertaken with
potential developers.
SITE D: PODIUM AND FORMER CATTLEMARKET
Covering a footprint of approximately 14,000 m² the site
incorporates the existing Podium Shopping Centre, Public Library,
Hilton Hotel, decked car parking and the former Cattlemarket site
currently used as a surface public car park. Development
proposals have been brought forward, which could include the
relocation of the Public Library, the expansion of the shopping
facilities and the redevelopment of the existing Hilton Hotel to
provide an additional 55 bedrooms with modernised and extended
conference facilities linked to a 3,250 m² casino. Employment
generation is estimated at 500-600 jobs. The casino would be
a key element in the redevelopment of the wider site which would
generate improvements to the sub-standard public realm in the area
and the creation of a positive link to Walcot Street, the artisan
quarter of the city centre, through physical development and
increased footfall.
SITE E: TERRACE WALK AND EMPIRE UNDERCROFT
Formerly the location of the Lower Assembly Rooms, one of the
original gaming establishments in Bath, the site is wholly owned by
the Council and is Grade II listed. It has the potential to
incorporate a 1400m² casino generating 200-250 jobs, partly in a
new 2 storey building on the site of the former Island Club with
the main gaming areas and associated bars and restaurants located
at the lower Parade Gardens level. The development would
create a new high quality public space on Terrace Walk which would
improve pedestrian links between the historic core of the city,
Parade Gardens and the River Avon.
SITE F: MANVERS STREET/SOUTH PARADE
A key development site in the City Centre it has a footprint of
13,400m² and is proposed for a high density employment led mixed
use scheme. The Council is part owner of the site with the
remainder being held by the Police Authority and Consignia plc both
of whom are seeking to relocate their on-site facilities. The
existing Council owned public car park, together with the Police
Station could form the first phase of an overall development scheme
incorporating a 3,250m² casino, 100 bed 3-4 star hotel and 1,500m²
of conference space. The site is adjacent to Bath Spa Railway
Station and the proposed new central bus station and would
incorporate improvements to the public realm and pedestrian flows
between the city’s public transport interchange and historic
core.
