Articles by McGrigors
29 September 2005
Community benefits key to Rangers' gamble
on super-casino
by Angela Harkins
(Published The Scotsman)
The race to become the UK's first, and possibly only, regional casino stepped up a gear last week with Glasgow City Council's announcement that planning permission has been granted for a £200 million development by Rangers FC and its partner, Las Vegas Sands.
With 300 new homes, an entertainment complex, hotel, conference facilities and community centre in addition to the "super-casino", it is the first project of its kind in the UK to obtain planning permission.
The key issue now for the development, and for similar schemes expected to come forward in coming months, is whether the government will also approve the plans.
With only one licence likely to be granted for the operation of a regional casino under the proposed Gambling Act (a significant reduction from the 40 initially envisaged), competition will be strong.
One factor identified by government as key is the extent to which the proposed development will contribute regeneration benefits to the surrounding area and local community.
There has been relatively little discussion on what will be required to satisfy this requirement. However, in a report last year, the Joint Committee on the Draft Gambling Bill considered that regeneration in this context refers to the economic benefits accruing to a previously disadvantaged area, with an enhancement of opportunities for both enjoyment and employment for local residents.
This potentially covers a broad range of measures. On one level, the mere fact of developing a derelict site in a rundown area and creating jobs could be interpreted as satisfying the criteria. However, and perhaps fortunately for those living in areas in need of regeneration, it appears from parliamentary discussions that benefits will need to be more far-reaching than this.
Whether this will spawn proposals for the types of imaginative projects as have been seen overseas, for example the canal network forming part of a scheme in Cape Town or a 700-seat theatre in a project in France, remains to be seen.
With such a potentially wide definition of regeneration and an equally broad spectrum of measures that could be deemed beneficial, it is difficult to anticipate what will be an "acceptable level" of benefit for the purposes of obtaining approval.
In terms of Rangers' proposals, there is certainly an intention for the infrastructure and facilities to be complemented by schemes to promote employment opportunities for local residents and to encourage training and education in the community.
With only a limited number of casino operators set to benefit from the terms of the proposed Gambling Act, however, it is clear that those projects which offer the optimum package for the development of a casino in an area primed for regeneration will be well-placed to benefit from the proposed changes to the industry.
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