Having got through Planning Committee, with a change from Bingo Hall to Adult Gaming Centre, the applicants are at Brent Licensing Committee tomorrow applying for a gambling licence for the former Lloyds Bank at 1 Walm Lane, Willesden Green.
On Sunday afternoon there was a community demonstration on the traffic island opposite the building. People held up placards with quotes from the many objections to the application.
I took part in the protest
At a community meeting earlier this week called by the police and Brent Council, residents expressed concerns about the deterioration of their neighbourhood, especially in terms of personal safety. Council leader Muhammed Butt attended but did not speak.
There are 245 documents on the Licensing Committee agenda for this application that will be heard tomorrow morning 10.30am at Brent Civic Centre - a lot of reading for Committee members.
There is a document from the police that declares them satisfied with the 24 undertakings given by the applicant and therefore making no representations to the Committee. That document is dated 16th April 2026 - a lot has happened in the area since then but no revised document has been submitted at the time of writing.
Cllr Mary Mitchell (Green, Willesden Green ward) has submitted an up to date statement that is the last on the list of 245 documents. It deserves wider circulation and I reproduce it below:
Supplementary
Statement from Councillor Mary Mitchell, Ward Councillor for
Willesden
Green Application 37891 – Adult Gaming Centre, 1 Walm Lane, NW2 5SN
Having
reviewed the applicant's supplementary submission, I wish to draw the Committee's
attention to a number of matters which I believe require careful consideration
alongside the representations already submitted by residents and community
organisations.
1. I am
concerned by the applicant's characterisation of resident objections. The fact that
many representations raise similar concerns should not diminish the weight
attached to them. Residents are responding to the same proposal within the framework
of the statutory licensing objectives and it is therefore unsurprising that common
themes emerge. The consistency of concerns relating to vulnerability, gambling
harm, crime and anti-social behaviour is, in my view, indicative of the depth and
breadth of local concern rather than evidence that those concerns should be
discounted.
2. I am
concerned by the extent to which the applicant seeks to challenge or minimise
the relevance of Brent's public health evidence, including the severe risk of
suicidality and mental health denigration linked to gambling addiction. These
documents have been developed to help the Council understand local need, deprivation
and risk. The Committee should carefully consider whether the applicant
has adequately engaged with this evidence when assessing the suitability of the
proposed location and the effectiveness of the mitigation measures offered.
3. I ask
the committee to consider the applicant’s remarks about the regulatory framework
as ‘costly’, citing initial fees of £1400 and annual regulatory costs exceeding
£1500 alongside the true cost of gambling borne by the people of Brent.
According
to independent data from GambleAware, gambling-related harm costs the Brent
infrastructure an estimated £18 million annually across emergency housing,
mental health services and criminal justice interventions.
4. The
applicant attempts to placate the committee by offering restricted opening hours.
However, it is a well-established tactical playbook for Adult Gambling Centres to
secure a foothold in a community with compromised hours, only to apply for
a 24-hour extension shortly after, as demonstrated in the very case law the
applicant cites. The applicant provides no binding permanent reassurance that they will
not aggressively pursue a 24-hour rollout after the premise is up and running.
5. Since
my original representation was submitted, further incidents of anti-social behaviour,
violence, and the tragic murder of a 15-year old boy have been reported
within the immediate vicinity of the proposed site, which compromise even further
the position that a gambling premise would not cause harm to vulnerable individuals
and increase crime and disorder.
These
include:
• The
murder of Jamal Ringrose, on Dudden Hill Lane on 30/05/26 (CAD9258/30MAY)
• An
assault, under investigation, near Willesden Green train station on 31/05/26 (CAD6615/31MAY)
• An
assault, under investigation, near Willesden Green train station on 07/06/26
(CAD 969/7JUN)
I do not
suggest that the proposed premises would be directly responsible for such incidents.
However, I believe the Committee should consider this evidence as part of its wider
assessment of the local environment and whether the licensing objective of protecting
vulnerable persons from harm can be adequately upheld at this location.
More than
200 representations have been submitted in opposition to this application. Taken
together, these representations raise serious concerns regarding the
suitability of this
location for an Adult Gaming Centre and the potential impact on vulnerable members of
the community.
I therefore
respectfully ask the Committee to give careful consideration to the cumulative
weight of the evidence before it and to satisfy itself that the licensing objectives
can be upheld before any licence is granted.
The meeting will now be viewable on line here:
When clicking the link, there is no requirement to enter your email address, on the 18 June at 10.30am, click ‘Alcohol and Entertainment Licensing Sub Committee’ to view.
https://brent.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/1102285
