Plans for a new betting shop in Staple Hill have been approved despite concerns about gambling in a “deprived” area and the impact on the high street. South Gloucestershire Council development management committee granted permission for the change of use of the former Lloyds Bank, which has been empty since the branch shut in September 2019, into a BoyleSports bookies.
Members said they were worried about gambling addiction and that it could lead to family break-ups but that there were no valid planning grounds to reject the application, which officers recommended giving the go-ahead despite objections from 216 residents. Staple Hill and Mangotsfield ward Cllr Ian Boulton, who is the opposition Labour group deputy leader, said claims from BoyleSports’ planning agents that allowing the betting shop would not lead to a “clustering” of similar businesses were false because there were already two others yards away.
He told the committee that the area was one of the most deprived in the district and that “poverty is a real issue and gambling a genuine concern”. Cllr Boulton said: “Studies have found an association between problem gambling and poverty.
